WBC featherweight titleholder Gary Russell Jr.’s upcoming defense has been postponed.
Russell, who was set to defend his title against Oscar Escandon on March 11 at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland, will no longer compete as Escandon, the interim titleholder, suffered a back injury. That fight was supposed to air on Showtime. As such, Showtime said it will postpone the entire card for a later date.
The Russell vs. Escandon fight wasn’t the only world title fight that was set to take place on that card. WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo was to defend his title against mandatory challenger Charles Hatley.
Russell defended last fought against Patrick Hyland on April 16, 2016 in his defense of the title. Since losing to WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, Russell is on a three-fight win streak.
Escandon, on the other hand, had been very inactive in the past few years. Escandon has only fought four times since the start of 2014, amassing a 3-1 with 2 KOs.
Showtime Executive Vice President and General Manager for Showtime Sports Stephen Espinoza told ESPN the card will likely remain intact for the most part when it is rescheduled.
There is no possible replacement dates or if the venue will remain the same. The card was going to be the second of three major boxing cards the sport would have in the northeast region of the United States, with Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia headlining a Barclays Center card on March 4, Russell vs. Escandon on March 11 and Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs on March 18 headlining at Madison Square Garden.
