Russell to fight for NABF title next month

Fresh from his first round knockout victory over Nigel Edwards on July 26, Kemahl 'Hitman' Russell will fight American Ian 'The General' Green from New Jersey on Saturday, September 9, for the Junior North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Middleweight title at the Resorts World Casino, in New York.

The fight card will be promoted by Real Deal Promotions, headed by former world heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.

Russell, who has a 11-1 record, with nine knockouts, told The Gleaner yesterday that he was very happy to be fighting again so soon, and this time for a title.

"It is for a junior title, but I am going to use it as a stepping stone to bigger things, and I am just going out there to try to win impressively," he continued.

RECOVERING FROM DEFEAT

Going into the fight in July, Russell had the ghost of a recent loss hovering over him, as he had suffered his first defeat in March, to Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

"I could not suffer another loss, so I trained hard for Edwards and was very pleased with the results," he told The Gleaner. Continuing he said, "This is an important year for me, and after Green, I would like to have at least one more fight in 2017. If I am to get to the top, I have to continue winning, so I am going into the fight very confident. The junior title that I am fighting for is approved by an organisation affiliated to the World Boxing Council (WBC) so some prestige is attached to it, and a victory will mean a lot."

He pointed out that after the last fight, he took only a few days off and was back into training quickly.

"I am actually ready for the fight physically, and the next few weeks will allow me to prepare properly for my opponent. I will watch some tapes of his fights, and prepare myself accordingly," he added.

Green has a record similar to that of Russell, as he is 12-1, also with nine knockouts. An interesting sidelight is that he has local ties. His father is a Jamaican and his uncle is Wayne Sharpe, who trains local boxing favourite Tsetsi Davis. Word is that some time last year, Green expressed the hope that he and Russell would have a fight, so when the offer was made recently, he gladly accepted.

Russell will leave for New York next week to do his final training there.