Puello Stuns Russell, Adames Retains Title in Las Vegas
On Saturday at the MGM Grand, Alberto Puello became the first boxer to take Gary Antuanne Russell the distance and defeat him, winning via margins of 115-112 and 114-113, against a lopsided 118-109 score.
Puello, now 23-0 (10 KOs) and hailing from the Dominican Republic, claimed the WBC’s interim junior welterweight title, while Russell, from Capital Heights, Maryland, dropped to 17-1 (17 KOs). The all-southpaw clash was a messy affair, with Puello getting docked a point for holding in the ninth round. Despite Russell’s early quickness and aggression, Puello utilized his long left hand and right hooks to disrupt the challenger’s rhythm.
In the main event, Carlos Adames made the first defense of his WBC middleweight title against Terrell Gausha. Adames, also from the Dominican Republic, won by wide margins of 119-109 and 118-110 (twice), though the judges’ scorecards were criticized as being unjust towards the challenger Gausha.
“This win is very satisfying,” said Adames. “To have defended my title the way I did, with the convincing decision, was what I wanted after a year away.”
The fight lacked excitement, with Adames applying pressure but struggling to trouble the poised and disciplined Gausha. While Gausha increased his output in the later rounds, the judges rewarded Adames’ aggression, leading to the convincing decision victory.
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