Showtime Boxing: Gary Russell Jr. Retains Featherweight Title; Leon Lawson Cheap Shots Jose Uzcategui

Andre Dirrell's uncle just swung on Jose Uzcategui after he was DQ'd for a late hit after the bell pic.twitter.com/YdWqSaqmWd

— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) May 21, 2017

Gary Russell Jr. proved yet again why he is one of the most dangerous “little guys” in the world as he was sensational Saturday night. Russell scored a seventh-round stoppage of Oscar Escandon in the main event of a Showtime Championship Boxing card at MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, retaining his WBC featherweight crown in the process.

Russell seized control of the action early and never relinquished it as he dominated the Colombian until the end. Russell Jr. dropped Escandon in the third and picked him apart with his superior movement and hand speed. Escandon tried in vain to turn the tides, but the American was too accurate and powerful for that happen.

Russell Jr. cracked his challenger with a left-right to the head, which rocked Escandon badly. When Escandon stumbled back into the ropes, Russell Jr. closed in for the kill and swarmed him with punches until veteran referee Harvey Dock intervened. The end officially came 59 seconds into the seventh, allowing the champion to rise to 28-1 with his 17th knockout. Escandon, meanwhile, dipped to 25-3 (17 KO).

Andre Dirrell toppled Jose Uzcategui in a wild fight that ended with the Venezuelan being disqualified. Uzcategui was controlling the majority of the fight as he was landing the harder, cleaner shots, but when the eighth ended, he nailed Dirrell with a powerful left to the head. Dirrell (26-2, 16 KOs) crumbled face-first onto the canvas. Referee Bill Clancy immediately waived it off and declared the punch came well after the round ended, disqualifying Uzcategui (26-2, 22 KOs) in the process.

When Dirrell was unable to continue, his uncle Leon Lawson attacked Uzcategui and punched him in the face several times. A wild brawl broke out in the ring and security had to quickly step in to break up the melee. When Dirrell was being interviewed by Showtime, the crowd lustily booed him, prompting the fighter to hurl insults into the audience.

Former two-time world champ Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs) won a 12-round unanimous decision over Kiryl Relikh (25-3, 16 KOs) Both men scored knockdowns in the fight but the judges all favored Barthelemy with tallies of 115-111, 117-109 and 116-110.

Across the pond in the other featured bout on Showtime, unbeaten Gervonta Davis crushed Liam Walsh via third-round knockout. Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) started a bit slowly but was all over the Brit early in the third as he tore into his head and body. Walsh (21-2, 14 KOs) was clipped and taken off his feet with a barrage of punches and when he continued fighting, Davis overwhelmed him until the ref stopped it. The end came at 2:11 of the frame, stunning the sold out crowd at Copper Box Arena in London.