Hiraoka body attack and point deduction complicate wide decision
Gary Antuanne Russell retained his WBA junior welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Andy Hiraoka after building an early lead and holding off a late rally. The official cards read 117-110, 116-111 and 116-111, though the final rounds felt far tighter inside T-Mobile Arena.
Russell (19-1, 17 KOs) set the pace early behind sharp combinations and steady body work. He started with the jab, stepped in behind the right hand, and worked short hooks to the ribs. His front-foot pressure secured the first five rounds on two of the three scorecards.
Hiraoka (24-1, 19 KOs), a tall southpaw near six feet, adjusted as the fight progressed. He began ripping left hands to the body and committing to straight shots down the middle. By the seventh, Russell was giving ground and spending more time near the ropes while Hiraoka invested downstairs.
The effective aggression belonged to Hiraoka in the eighth and ninth. His body shots slowed Russell’s legs and forced more movement. He pressed forward, finished exchanges with authority, and narrowed the fight entering the championship rounds.
Momentum shifted further in the 10th when referee Al Huggins deducted a point from Hiraoka for a pair of low blows on right uppercuts. The deduction proved significant in a bout that was tightening quickly.
Hiraoka pushed again in the 11th and 12th, digging to the body and forcing exchanges. Both men traded to the final bell, yet the official totals favored Russell comfortably.
“Unifications. Everybody with a title, I need that,” Russell said.
He acknowledged the rally he faced.
“Adversity is something to expect in this sport,” Russell said. “I feel like he was down on the scorecards and knew it, so he tried to pick up the intensity. We had plan A, B, [and] C, so whatever he brought to the table, I knew we would make the necessary adjustments.”
On the cards, Russell swept the first five rounds for Steve Weisfeld and Jack Reiss. Hiraoka captured much of the second half, including three of the final four rounds across the board, but the early deficit and the point deduction left him short.
Russell’s hand speed and combination punching remain elite at 140 pounds. The late rounds showed he can be backed up by a disciplined body attack and steady pressure. At the top of the division, where heavier punchers and sharper counterpunchers operate, he will need to hold his feet more consistently and answer body work with his own.
The WBA title picture at junior welterweight remains active, and mandatory positioning could shape Russell’s next defense.
He keeps the belt. The scorecards will draw more attention than the rounds he secured early.