‘The Last’ Boxing Brother

Gary Antuanne Russell is not only the second-youngest of the six Russell brothers of Capitol Heights, Maryland, but perhaps the most studious, observant and professionally precocious of the left-handed siblings. 

All six brothers are named after their father and trainer, Gary Sr. Nicknamed “The Last” Russell, Antuanne, 25, has not only absorbed his father’s teachings, but also knowledge and wisdom from his older brothers, who, like him, were groomed in their basement by Gary Sr., a former boxer who now does so in the family-owned Enigma Boxing Gym in Capitol Heights.

“Antuanne was valedictorian of Croom Vocational High School’s Class of 2015,” said Gary Sr. “They have different personalities but make decisions and discuss their career paths as a unit, but I’ve already seen that Antuanne’s become the beneficiary of the things his siblings have done in boxing.”

Along with “Gary Jr., 33, Gary Allan III, 30, and Gary Antonio, 28, Gary Antuanne won National Golden Gloves titles. Antuanne and Gary Jr. reached the Olympic games in 2016 and 2008. Gary Antonio, nicknamed, “Another,” is an undefeated bantamweight contender.

The reigning WBC 126-pound champion, Gary Jr. works his siblings’ corners with Gary Sr. and Gary Allan and has his brothers’ names tattooed on his left arm.

“The bar's definitely set high based on what I’ve accomplished, but Antuanne is 100 percent confident in his game and has to know and believe he has the mental capacity to make the necessary adjustments for anything that comes along,” said Gary Jr.

“We believe in the dynasty and passing information down from generation to generation. With Antuanne being the youngest, I feel he has the ability to achieve much more than we all have. Antuanne has the opportunity to look at all of the mistakes that I've made, take the meat and leave the bone.”

But “The Last” knows that he has a long way to go to achieve the recognition of “Mr.” Russell, his role model for success in and out of the ring. 

“Our foundations, conditioning and defensive skills are similar,” said Gary Antuanne. “You can also see Antonio and I progressing. The difference is our levels of creativity.”

Fighting For Father And Family

Gary Antuanne established the most blistering pace of all the fighting Russells, scoring first-round knockouts in all three of his initial professional bouts in 2017, knocking out  Josh Ross in May, Jesus Lule in September and Larry Yanez in November. 

“I’ve had enjoyable fights in my career, so far, but my pro debut was the best,” said Antuanne, who wad 7-0 (all knockouts) within a 15-month span entering 2019. 

“It was my father’s 58th birthday, and the crowd and the atmosphere was electric. That was a dream come true and a monumental day for me and for the rest of the family.”

The year 2018 featured two each in first- and one each in the second- and third-round knockouts, with Antuanne receiving major exposure for a second-round TKO over Keasen Freeman on the undercard of then-heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s 10th-round TKO of Luis Ortiz card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Antuanne rose to 12-0 (all knockouts) by halting all five opponents in 2019 in four or less rounds, including a  sensational 32-second, body-shot stoppage over Luis Ronaldo Castillo in September. Castillo entered that bout with a record of 20-4 (15 KOs). 

Russell fought once each in 2020 and 2021. In February 2020, he halted Jose Marrufo in the first round in February. Then in May 2021, he opened the eyes of boxing fans everywhere with a brilliant sixth-round stoppage of Puerto Rico’s Jovanie Santiago, who entered at 14-1-1 (10 KOs). It was the first time Santiago had ever been knocked out as a pro. 

“My mission,” said Antuanne, “is to take everything my father and older brothers have demonstrated to me as far as information, experience and wisdom and use it to take me to the next level.”

On February 26, 2022, Russell took a major step up in class, facing former WBC world 140-pound champion Viktor Postol on a PBC on SHOWTIME card from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Russell passed the biggest test of his career with flying colors, stopping Postol abruptly in the tenth and final round of their super lightweight bout.
 
After pushing the action for most of the fight, Russell hurt Postol with a left uppercut in the tenth and followed up with a series of lefts and rights. With Postol against the ropes absorbing combinations, referee Mike Ortega intervened and waived it off at 2:31 of the tenth, much to Postol’s surprise, who shrugged his shoulders and seemed miffed at the stoppage. 

“The performance speaks for itself,” said Russell. “You see (Postol) went the distance with Terence Crawford, and I just stopped him. I believe I’m ready for another step-up fight.”

On July 30, 2022, at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, Russell delivered a sixth-round TKO (:50) over former two-division Rances Barthelemyin their super lightweight clash to keep his perfect knockout streak intact. Russell landed a clean leaping right hook that dropped Barthelemy early in the round, and while Barthelemy was able to get to his feet, referee Shada Murdaugh waived off the action, drawing boisterous complaints from Barthelemy, his corner and the crowd in attendance.

The bout featured intriguing action from two skilled southpaws, as Russell and Barthelemy went toe-to-toe in a compelling round one that saw both men throw over 60 punches and each eat big shots. As the action progressed, Barthelemy was able to find success countering the hard-charging Russell, who dictated much of the fight’s pace.
 
The fighters threw within five total punches of each other per round across the bout, including combining to throw 361 power punches out of 515 total thrown. Barthelemy expressed his displeasure with the referee’s decision post-fight and staked his claim to a rematch against Russell. At the time of the stoppage, the score totals were 49-46 twice and 48-47 in favor of Russell.

On August 12, 2023, Russell scored a spectaculat first-round KO of Kent Cruz at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Russell secured his eighth career first-round knockout by sending Cruz to the canvas two minutes and 39 seconds into the super lightweight bout. The first knockdown came from a left uppercut to the chin, then Russell ended the fight with a dizzying left to the midsection.

“This is obviously good,” Russell said. “I saw the opening and I took it, and I was trying to remain disciplined defensively at the same time. More than anything, I was trying to make sure I could end it in the first round.

“I wasn't shooting for the knockout streak, but that's just what happened during a minute and a half worth of work tonight. If the opportunity is there, why not take it?”

Coming Up Short

On June 15, 2024, Russell faced Alberto Puello for the interim WBA Super Lightweight World Title. In thrilling back and forth action, Puello would win a 12-round split decision.

The two undefeated southpaws gave as good as they got for the entire fight with both fighters refusing to give an inch. Russell’s quickness and aggression allowed him to pile up points, but Puello’s counterpunching proved to be the difference.

"It wasn't about what Puello did tonight, it was about what I didn't do. I should have listened more and executed more. Like I always say, if I execute our game plan, it's a matter of fact that I'll get the victory. But tonight, I fell short,” said Russell.

Puello was deducted a point for holding in round nine and was on the receiving end of a borderline low blow in the 10th. He appeared to return the favor a round later as Russell needed a momentary break from a low shot. In the end, Judge Dave Hudson’s 118-109 score for Russell was overruled by Tim Cheatham and Glenn Feldman who had it for Puello by scores of 114-113 and 115-112 respectively.