Victor Santillan vs Gary Antonio Russell

This is a tough pick, two seasoned southpaws at the same stage in their careers. Victor Santillan is awkward, durable and willing to travel, while Gary Antonio Russell is the cleaner boxer but has wasted too much of his prime through inactivity.

Santillan will press, work the body and try to keep his head on Russell’s chest. He has a good engine, but faster, more technically polished fighters have found him predictable coming forward. Russell sees punches early, uses his feet well and lands short counters before tying opponents up. His right hook should be important in the battle between southpaws.

The danger for Russell is rust. He has not completed enough competitive rounds in recent years, and Santillan will test his legs late. Even so, I expect Russell to control the distance, frustrate Santillan’s pressure and land the cleaner punches throughout. It may become untidy inside, but Russell is the better craftsman.

Gary Antonio Russell by decision.