Russell (28-1, 17 knockouts) will be making his third defense of the 126-pound title since he won it from Jhonny Gonzalez in March 2015, stopping him in four rounds. It was also the last time Russell was in the ring - not exactly an active career for someone who hopes to leave their mark as a great featherweight champion. Maybe that scene was the reason MGM officials seemed to back away from live boxing at the casino, though privately they have denied that. It nearly escalated into a riot, but order was restored and Russell was able to get into the ring for the main event, knocking out Oscar Escandon in the seventh round. Leon Lawson, Jr., identified as Dirrell’s uncle, jumped into the ring and nailed Uzcategui with a shot to his chin, which set off a brawl between corners in the ring, spilling out into the crowd.

Now, ironically, Russell returns to the MGM National Harbor, where he made his last title defense one year ago - in a debacle that resulted in a brawl that spilled out into the crowd from an undercard bout between Jose Uzcategui and Andre Dirrell, when Uzcategui was disqualified for landing a shot after the bell rang to end the eighth round.

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