Russell Jr. Opens AIBA Tournament With a Victory!

Capitol Heights, MD's Gary Russell, Jr. won his first round match in the 2007 AIBA World Championships at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL.

Russell fought in the very first bout of the tournament, defeating Rudolf Dydi of Slovakia, 13-6. According to USABoxing.org, Russell took a 3-1 lead after the first round, but Dydi began to engage more in the second. Dydi pulled the bout to a 5-4 lead at the halfway mark, but that is as close as he would get. Russell enjoyed a strong third round of action, holding Dydi scoreless while nearly doubling his point total to go into the final stanza with a 9-4 edge. Russell held Dydi at bay through the final two minutes to move out to a 13-6 final victory, and grab the first win of the tournament for both he and the United States team.

Russell will face Israel’s Peter Moyshenzon in second round action on Friday, October 26.