IBO World Champion Tugstsogt Nyambayar is set for the biggest clash of his career as he is locked in to unify the division against WBC Champion Gary Russell Jr.
The pair will main event the February 8 card at the PPL Center, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which will be live on American premium cable outlet Showtime.
The 126-pound clash is a unique one in the sense it sees two Olympians squaring off for two world titles. Russell Jr represented Team USA in the Beijing Olympics of 2008 alongside Deontay Wilder, who won Bronze in the 200lbs division. Their transition to the professional ranks has intertwined on many occasions, with Russell Jr acting as chief support to Wilder’s explosive world title defense against Dominic Breazeale this past May in Brooklyn, New York. Russell Jr on the night stopped former world champion Kiko Martinez in a one-sided victory.
Nyambayar was also an Olympian, medalling in the London 2012 games and since his inception in the professional ranks he has won the IBO world featherweight title, last year, also in Brooklyn, New York, in what was arguably considered the fight of the night by those in attendance and watching around the world against Claudio Marrero. Nyambayar has openly spoken about chasing fellow champions since his victory last January and the Mongolian appears to have had his wish granted against boxing’s longest-reigning world champion, Gary Russell Jr.
Nyambayar was quoted in saying, “Gary Russell Jr is a fantastic fighter and I hope the fight will happen as I have always wanted to unify the world titles. It has always been my plan to win the WBC title fight from Russell Jr to hold alongside my IBO title.
“My last fight was an exciting one that was viewed by millions of people all over the world. That is how world title fights need to be fought and I want to put on these types of fights for the boxing fans.”
IBO President Ed Levine also gave his comment on the Nyambayar Russell Jr clash. He said, “I think Nyambayar vs Russell Jr is a tremendous fight. It is great to see two champions putting it all on the line as that is what real champions do. These two gentlemen have been champions since their amateur days and really understand what it means to be a champion, so I expect this fight to be an exciting clash between two of the elite in the 126-pound weight class.”