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Victor Ortiz-Luis Collazo ‘super fight’ card boasts Gary Russell

Fighters Network
27
Jan

Unbeaten featherweight Gary Russell Jr, will return to the ring along with top local standouts "Sir" Marcus Browne, Emmanuel "Manny" Gonzalez, Zachary Ochoa, Rafael Vazquez and Steven Bujaj. on the Victor OrtizLuis Collazo undercard on Jan 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer announced on Monday

Ortiz-Collazo is being televised on Fox Sports 1, and will take place three days before the NFL’s Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., less than an hour drive from Brooklyn.

"I call it the Super Fight, between Victor Ortiz and Luis Collazo," said Schaefer. "For both fighters, it's an important fight. It's sort of like a crossroad fight. They both know what's at stake. There's going to be tremendous exposure on that card on that week in New York."

Coming off a unanimous decision over Juan Ruiz in August, Russell (23-0, 13 knockouts) will face Miguel Tamayo (14-7-2, 12 KOs) in an eight-round junior lightweight bout.



Russell-Tamayo will air beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT followed by a 10-round junior middleweight clash of unbeatens between Eddie Gomez (15-0, 10 KOs), of The Bronx, and Daquan Arnett (11-0, 7 KOs) of Winter Park, Fla.

"We have a great televised tripleheader. The opening bout is going to be Gary Russell, Jr. against Miguel Tamayo in an eight-round super featherweight bout," said Schaefer. "Gary Russell Jr. is continuing to chase the big fights, bigger world title fights."

In October, Russell, 25, of Capitol Heights, Md., was declared the WBO’s mandatory challenger to Mexican titleholder Orlando Salido, giving Salido a period of 180 days from that time within which to defend against Russell after having won the vacant belt by seventh-round knockout over Orlando Cruz.

Salido is scheduled for a defense against against Ukrainian amateur star Vasyl Lomachenko for March 1.

"[Russell] is..the mandatory for the winner of Salido and Lomachenko and has full intentions to go after the winner of that fight," said Schaefer. "So, I'm happy to have Gary back to make sure he stays sharp and showcase his immense talents at the Barclays Center against game Miguel Tamayo."

RingTV.com reported on Schaefer's offer  for Russell to challenge WBC beltholder Jhonny Gonzalez that was turned down by Gonzalez, who won the belt by a shocking first-round knockout  victory over three-division titlewinner Abner Mares  in August.

Mares suffered a rib injury which scuttled a proposed Feb. 15 rematch with Gonzalez, one that is still is likely.

Meanwhile, Ortiz (29-4-2, 22 KOs) will be ending a 19-month ring absence in a clash of southpaw former titleholders against Collazo (34-5, 17 KOs), having been cast for a role in the third installment of Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables and Dancing With The Stars.

An all-action fighter, Ortiz was last in the ring in June of 2012, when he suffered a ninth-round stoppage loss to Josesito Lopez after which he required a two-hour surgery to repair a broken jaw.

Collazo has gone 3-0 with one knockout, with all two of those bouts having taken place at Barclays Center, since falling by 10-round unanimous decision to Freddy Hernandez, who dropped him in the eighth round in October of 2011. In his last fight, Collazo scored a unanimous 10-round decision over Alan Sanchez in Texas.

A 23-year-old 2012 Olympian from Staten Island, Browne (8-0, 7 KOs) will make his sixth appearance at Barclays in a light heavyweight bout agains Kentrell Claiborne (4-8, 3 KO's) of Shreveport, LA.

Appearing at Barclays for the second time, Gonzalez (13-0, 7 KOs), a 26-year-old featherweight from the Bronx, will fight Victor Sanchez (5-7-2, 2 KO's) of Houston, Tex.

In his third birth at Barclays, Ochoa (5-0, 3 KOs), of Brooklyn, will face Puerto Rican junior welterweight rival Jose Valderrama (3-6 3 KO's), and

In featherweight action scheduled for eight rounds, Brooklyn's Vazquez (9-1, 7 KO's) will take on Bradley Patraw (10-6, 5 KOs) of St. Paul's, Minn, and Ochoa (5-0, 3 KOs), of Brooklyn, will make his third appearance at Barclays against  Puerto Rican junior welterweight rival Jose Valderrama (3-6 3 KO's).

Also, cruiserweight Bujaj (10-0, 7 KOs) of New York will face Philadelphia's Derek Bryant (20-7-1, 17 KOs).

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