. 
Escandon is a midget
Luckily for him, GRJ has shorter arms than Escandon does, so that should offset the height disadvantage
Either way, GRJ should punish him and Jermell Charlo needs to put on a good fight in the co-main. He's been struggling lately.
MGM Grand National Harbor. 
All we need to do now is bring Lamont home for a scrap with Broner at 147
.so close to fight time 
..on the flip side if it falls later then maybe i can schedule my trip down there
back injury
though breh.....even if it wasn't his fault this time
possible rescheduled date for this..memorial day weekend
Gary Russell against Oscar Escandon likely moved to May 27 - The Ring
that would be perfect for a visit actually
that fight is in the U.K. so it's coolOkay well if Gervonta and Crawford fighting on May 20 and these boys is fighting on May 27
When the hell is Brook Spence? shyts now in June?
Russell-Escandon Rescheduled for May 20 at MGM National Harbor
By Keith Idec
As expected, Gary Russell Jr.’s return from a long layoff has been rescheduled for May 20.
Russell will make a mandatory defense of his WBC world featherweight title that night against interim champion Oscar Escandon. Showtime will televise the Russell-Escandon encounter as the main event of a “Showtime Championship Boxing” doubleheader from MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
The co-featured fight will match Andre Dirrell against Jose Uzcategui in a 12-round fight for the interim IBF super middleweight championship. An official announcement from Showtime is expected to be released soon.
Russell (27-1, 16 KOs), of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was supposed to encounter Escandon on March 11 at MGM National Harbor. Their fight was postponed February 28 because Colombia’s Escandon suffered a back injury during training camp.
Neither fighter will have boxed in more than a year by the time they meet May 20.
The 28-year-old Russell hasn’t fought since he stopped Ireland’s Patrick Hyland (31-3, 15 KOs) in the second round of their title fight last April 16 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. That was the 2008 Olympian’s only action since he knocked out Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez (62-10, 52 KOs) in the fourth round to capture the WBC 126-pound championship in March 2015 in Las Vegas.
Escandon also has competed just once since losing a split decision to Mexico’s Moises Flores (25-0, 17 KOs, 1 NC) in April 2015. That bout took place last March 5, when Escandon knocked out Mexico’s Robinson Castellanos (23-12, 13 KOs) in the seventh round to win the interim WBC featherweight title in Washington, D.C.
As for the bout between Dirrell (25-2, 16 KOs), of Flint, Michigan, and Venezuela’s Uzcategui (26-1, 22 KOs), they’ll fight for an interim title because IBF 168-pound champion James DeGale is temporarily unavailable to make a mandatory defense against Uzcategui. DeGale (23-1-1, 14 KOs) suffered ear, mouth and nose injuries during his draw with Badou Jack in their championship unification fight January 14 in Brooklyn.
Uzcategui is ranked No. 1 by the IBF at 168 pounds. Dirrell, who lost a unanimous decision to DeGale in May 2015 in Boston, is rated No. 3.
Showtime will broadcast three fights altogether May 20.
Earlier in the day, the network will provide live coverage of the Gervonta Davis-Liam Walsh fight from London. Baltimore’s Davis (17-0, 16 KOs) will make the first defense of his IBF world super featherweight title against England’s Walsh (21-0, 14 KOs) at Copper Box Arena.
Dirrell-Uzcategui, Barthelemy-Relikh Added To SHO Triple, May 20
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - An exciting night of action will feature super middleweight contenders Andre Dirrell and Jose Uzcategui in a matchup for the Interim IBF Super Middleweight World Championship plus two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy in a WBA 140-pound world title eliminator against Kiryl Relikh on Saturday, May 20 from the recently opened MGM National Harbor in Maryland and live on SHOWTIME.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast is headlined by WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. making the second defense of his title when he faces top challenger Oscar Escandon.
Top 168-pound contenders Dirrell (25-2, 16 KOs) and Uzcategui (26-1, 22 KOs) are set to meet in a 12-round matchup with the winner in line to face IBF champion James DeGale, who is currently recovering from injuries sustained in his draw against Badou Jack in January on SHOWTIME.
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"This fight is a massive step towards my journey to success in 2017," said Dirrell. "To me, this is my championship fight leading up to the rematch with the current champion, James DeGale. Jose has all of the tools of a champion, so he's fierce competition for me. But I will show the world that I'm up for the task. This is my year!"
"I'm very excited to be facing a fighter the quality of Andre Dirrell," said Uzcategui. "These are the types of fights that I've wanted and I look forward to coming out victorious. This fight will be another step on the way to my dream of becoming a world champion."
A world champion at 130 and 135-pounds, Barthelemy (25-0, 13 KOs) and the former world title challenger Relikh (21-1, 19 KOs) will battle in 12 rounds of action for the right to be the mandatory challenger for current WBA Super Lightweight Championship held by unified champion Julius Indongo.
"I'm very excited to be back in the ring, especially on SHOWTIME against a top-ranked contender in Kiryl Relikh," said Barthelemy. "This victory will get me one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming the first Cuban to win world titles in three different weight classes. I'm very motivated and I will not be denied on May 20."
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity in a world title eliminator," said Relikh. "Rances Barthelemy is a good fighter, but my experience at this weight will help me get the victory. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get this win and eventually wear that world title belt around my waist."
Tickets for the live event, promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $200, $150, $100 and $50, and are now on sale. To purchase tickets go to http://mgmnationalharbor.com/.
Representing his hometown of Flint, Michigan, Dirrell looks to take one step closer to a rematch with DeGale after dropping a narrow decision to the current IBF champion in May 2015. The 33-year-old bounced back from the defeat in his last outing by earning a wide unanimous decision over Blake Caparello last April. After a decorated amateur career that saw him win two U.S. Amateur World Championships in addition to an Olympic bronze medal, Dirrell was unbeaten in his first 18 pro fights before losing a split decision to Carl Frosh in 2009.
Born in Venezuela, Uzcategui now fights out of Baja California, Mexico, where he won two fights last year by knockout. The 26-year-old shot up the rankings in 2015 when he stopped previously unbeaten Julius Jackson in the second round after knocking his opponent down four times. Uzcategui was undefeated in his first 22 pro fights and enters this bout on a four-fight win streak.
A Cuban amateur national champion, 30-year-old Barthelemy has yet to taste defeat since turning pro in 2009. Born in Cuba but now fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. he won a super featherweight world title in July 2014 by defeating Argenis Mendez in impressive fashion, and followed that up with a second round TKO victory over Angino Perez. After dominating former champion Antonio DeMarco in June, he won a world title in a second division when he impressively defeated Denis Shafikov in December. Most recently, Barthelemy made the lone defense of his lightweight belt with a decision over former champion Mickey Bey last June.
Fighting out of Minsk, Belarus, Relikh returns to the ring after challenging the former champion Burns for the WBA title in October 2016. The 27-year-old was undefeated after turning pro in 2011 leading up to his world title shot. Relikh owns wins over veteran contenders Christian Ariel Lope, Joaquim Carneiro and Lazaro Santos de Jesus.
- See more at: Dirrell-Uzcategui, Barthelemy-Relikh Added To SHO Triple, May 20 - Boxing News
Escandon Vows To Shock Gary Russell Like Maidana Did Broner
By Ryan Burton
BoxingScene.com recently caught up with interim WBC featherweight champion Oscar Escandon (25-2, 17 KOs) who faces full WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. on May 20th in Maryland. The fight will headline a card televised by Showtime.
Russell (27-1, 16 KOs) is very big favorite in the fight and the only reason the fight is happening is because it was mandated by the WBC.
The former US Olympian has seen his name linked to unification bouts against other featherweight champions like Lee Selby, Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz.
Escandón, who is trained by former multi-division champion Robert Guerrero's father Ruben, feels that he is flying under the radar and that Russell is in for a big surprise when they collide in the ring. He feels the fight will mirror two recent high profile upsets.
"I'm very underestimated. I'm very fast. Everyone will see. I will be the new champion. And the new! It will be the same (type of fight) as Robert Guerrero against Andre Berto and the same as what Chino Maidana did to (Andre) Broner. Just wait," Escandón told BoxingScene.com.
Tickets for the live event promoted by TGB Promotions are priced at $200, $150, $100 and $50, and are now on sale. To purchase tickets go to http://mgmnationalharbor.com/. The main event is co-promoted by Sampson Boxing. This bout was originally scheduled to take place on March 11 but was rescheduled after Escandon suffered a back injury in training camp. Fans who bought tickets for the March 11 show will have their tickets honored on May 20.
- See more at: Escandon Vows To Shock Gary Russell Like Maidana Did Broner - Boxing News
