Russell retains, Dirrell wins by DQ
WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr (28-1, 17 KOs) retained his title with a seventh round TKO over Oscar Escandon (25-3, 17 KOs) on Saturday night at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, USA.
Russell dropped the Colombian challenger with a right uppercut in the third round and continued to dominate the action with his superior speed and skills.
The American sent Escandon to the canvas again following more hard shots in the seventh, and referee Harvey Dock stopped the bout at 59 seconds of the round.
Also on the card, Andre Dirrell (26-2, 16 KOs) won the interim IBF super middleweight title by eighth round disqualification over Venezuela's Jose Uzcategui (26-2, 22 KOs).
Uzcategui outpunched Dirrell throughout the bout, and landed a three-punch combination, finishing with a left hook that dropped the American face first on the canvas in the eighth round. Referee Bill Clancy immediately ruled that the punch came after the bell. Dirrell was unable to continue and awarded the DQ victory.
Then a number of altercations took place in and out of the ring, including Dirrell's uncle, Leon Lawson striking Uzcategui.
With the win, Dirrell is now set for a rematch with IBF champion James DeGale, who is sidelined because of injuries suffered in his draw with Badou Jack last January.
DeGale outpointed Dirrell for the vacant IBF 168 lb title in May 2015. Dirrell got knocked down twice and lost a unanimous decision.