Gary Russell Jr vs Tugstsogt Nyambayar Odds & Picks
- Russell Jr vs Nyambayar goes Saturday, February 8th at 11:00 pm EST
- Can Russell Jr retain his belt and ward off the streaking challenger?
- Can Nyambayar maintain his unblemished pro record and add another world title to his mantle?
Russell Jr vs Nyambayar emanates from PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The WBC world featherweight title is the prize that both of these men covet. Russell Jr is the champion and is aiming to make the fifth defense of his belt.
Nyambayar just captured the IBO featherweight title and the unbeaten contender is aiming to add the WBC belt to his collection. The twelve round contest pits two elite pugilists at 126lbs in a prizefight that hardcore fans are salivating for. Check out the odds for this bout and my analysis of Russell Jr vs Nyambayar by scrolling down.
Russell Jr vs Nyambayar Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gary Russell Jr | -400 |
| Tugstsogt Nyambayar | +300 |
Odds taken Feb. 5th
Nyambayar is undefeated and regarded by some pundits as one of the sport’s best-kept secrets. A win here could propel him right into the widespread consciousness of the boxing world. Nyambayar captured the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and won that aforementioned world title in his last outing over Claudio Marrero.
The challenger has amassed a cumulative record of 150 wins with ten losses (across his amateur and professional efforts). Russell Jr vs Nyambayar stands to be a thrilling world title fight and there are multiple bouts on the card that fit that description.
A Tussle With Russell
Nyambayar last competed in January 2019. After over a year out of the ring, he will return for the biggest test of his pro career. This methodology is common for Russell Jr who has fought once per annum since capturing the belt in 2015. After stopping Jhonny Gonzalez in the fourth round, Russell Jr has since carved out a path where he’s now the second-longest reigning active champion in the sport; only behind fellow WBC titlist Deontay Wilder.
https://twitter.com/boxnationtv/status/1225161674224615424
The lone loss Russell Jr has suffered in his pro career was to pound for pound savant Vasyl Lomachenko. Russell Jr is riding a six-fight win streak since that loss to Lomachenko and has established himself as an elite fighter. Nyambayar has an 82-percent knockout rate heading into this bout; beginning his career with an eight-fight KO streak. He has only gone 50 rounds across his 11 pro fights and is having early nights by getting some top-notch fighters out of here early.
Though Russell Jr has a lower knockout rate (60%), it’s also important to note that he scored four stoppage wins across his last five fights.
Russell Jr vs Nyambayar Tale of the Tape
| 30-1 | Record | 11-0 |
| 18 | Knockouts | 9 |
| 5’4.5 | Height | 5’8 |
| 64″ | Reach | 66″ |
| Joseph Diaz, Oscar Escandon, Patrick Hyland |
Significant Wins | Claudio Marrero, Oscar Escandon, Harmonito Dela Torre |
| Southpaw | Stance | Orthodox |
Based on some of the weigh-in figures for this fight, it seems like the contender is a larger framed man. In fact, the 27-year-old Nyambayar has aspirations to jump up to a couple of different higher weight classes and become a multi-division world champion as his physique invariably fills out as he matures into his prime. Nyambayar has great momentum and a bright future but I think he runs into a bit of a roadblock here.
I think Russell Jr just has too much world championship-level experience as compared to Nyambayar. The Mongolian pugilist will suffer his first professional defeat this weekend when Russell Jr gets it done via unanimous decision.
Pick: Gary Russell Jr (-400)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
