Gary Antonio Russell did not just win the WBA interim super bantamweight title on August 22, 2026. He took it with force, patience and a late statement that turned a messy southpaw wrestling match into a very clear verdict. The official scorecards — 118-109, 119-108 and 119-108 — told the story in blunt terms: Russell was the better fighter, the busier fighter and, crucially, the one who found the moments that mattered.
This was never going to be a pretty classic. Victor Santillan and Gary Antonio Russell spent too much of the night tied up, leaning, holding and trying to force the other man out of rhythm. But once Russell settled into the middle rounds, he began landing combinations that gave the fight a shape Santillan could not undo. That matters at 122 lbs, where the WBA interim title is not some decorative trinket. With Naoya Inoue still the undisputed champion at the weight, this belt has real consequences attached to it.
Russell found the cleaner work when the fight got ugly
The frustration was obvious. A battle between two southpaws can sometimes produce sharp angles and clean exchanges; this one instead became a grind. Santillan held more in the second half, which was hardly surprising given the pressure Russell was building, but holding is not the same as solving the problem. It merely delays it. Russell stayed patient, kept pressing, and refused to let the fight drift into something random or close enough to invite doubt.
Then came the twelfth round, which removed any remaining argument. Russell dropped Santillan with a right hand, a final flourish that sealed the win and underlined the gap between the two men. Santillan made it to the final bell, but survival is not victory. By the time the scores were read out, Russell was the new interim WBA champ, and nobody could reasonably complain about the decision.
What happens next depends on Naoya Inoue
That is where the real significance sits. The WBA interim title only matters because Naoya Inoue remains the undisputed champion at 122 lbs. If Inoue stays in the division, defends against Bam Rodriguez, and later moves up to feather, Russell could be elevated to full WBA champion. That is a huge possible jump in status, and it is exactly why these fights matter even when they are ugly. They create a ladder to the real prize.
Russell has done his part. He beat Victor Santillan convincingly, he finished stronger, and he left no doubt over the scorecards. In a division shaped by a dominant name at the top, that is the kind of result that can change a career in an instant. On DAZN boxing, it was a wide, emphatic win — and one that may end up meaning far more than the dull rhythm of the fight itself suggested at the time.
