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Russell Defends Title With a Strong Finish
by Bob Stephens
Gary Russell Jr. was winning, but his corner wasn't satisfied.
"They said the score is too low. You have to pick it up," he said.
Russell, of Capitol Heights, followed orders, outscored his opponent handily in the final two rounds and successfully defended his 119-pound championship at the U.S. Boxing Championships last night in Colorado Springs.
The bout was close before Russell, 17, took command in the fourth and final round and won, 13-6, against Leodegario Santa Cruz of Lincoln Heights, Calif. Russell led 1-0 after the first round, 3-2 after two and 8-5 after three.
"His style was awkward," Russell said. "He was straightforward. He was tough to fight against."
Russell listened to his corner, where the main man is his father, Gary Russell Sr.
"I wanted to sit down and punch back," he said. "Dad said to keep moving and keep sticking. Fighters have to be disciplined and listen to their corner."
Russell received the USA Boxing Male Athlete of the Year award before leaving the ring.
He said winning the U.S. title a second time was exciting, but he did it a different way.
"Last year I was fighting off my athleticism, my speed, my instincts," he said. "This year I feel like a seasoned veteran. I think I fought an intelligent fight."
"I'd give him a 'B' because he wasn't as on-point as I've seen him," said Russell Sr. "He was sucking air. He had trouble all week with the climate changing. One day it was 70 here and then one day it's snowing."
After five days of matches at the Olympic Training Center, the venue moved across town to the Sheraton Hotel ballroom, where music blared between rounds and a raucous, standing-room only crowd cheered the action.
"This is a big deal for these fighters," said Dan Campbell , USA Boxing's national director of coaching. "The generic atmosphere of the Olympic Training Center, these guys are in that environment all the time. This atmosphere gives them a chance to step into the limelight. We try to pump up the crowd. It's almost like when the pros fight."
"It's a good atmosphere," Russell Sr. said. "It puts more pressure on the boxers because they want to please the audience."
Campbell, who has been a coach with USA Boxing since 1988, tried to put Russell's vaunted skills in perspective.
"For his size, his speed and his power is hard for anybody to match," he said. "Very few guys his size have that, let alone his age. Floyd Mayweather was probably the closest, but he's heavier than Gary."
Russell is already a technician, an accomplished craftsman far beyond his years. But, according to Campbell, the teenager still has much to learn.
"He needs to get more adept at international styles," Campbell said. "He needs to learn that when he scores, he should take a quick step to the left or right, then step back in and throw more punches. He tends to score, then move too much. And he's so fast with his combinations, he needs to make sure the judges see that he scored. He needs to stick, step and stick again."
Russell and the other 10 champions from last night will begin training camp March 19 at the Olympic Training Center. They'll fight March 26 at the Chowdhry Cup in Azerbaijan.
Russell plans to eventually turn professional, but his main goal is to win Olympic gold in Bejing in 2008.
"We expect great things from Gary," Campbell said. "He's the youngest on our [national] team and has proven he can do well on the international stage."
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