It stood out because Russell is usually the aggressor. He walks opponents down, throws in volume and forces turnovers. In this fight, he spent long stretches standing back and trying to slow the pace. Hiraoka’s jab found him early all the time, and once the body attack picked up, the tone of the fight changed. Even if someone roughed it up for Russell, it didn’t feel like a 117-110 night.
Fans on X and YouTube responded in kind. Many were not simply unhappy with the scoring; they believed Hiraoka had done enough to win. The width of the cards only added to that feeling. In a fight that felt competitive, wide margins don’t calm people down. They cast doubt on how the rounds were scored.
Russell chose to move on and start calling bigger fights at 140. From a career point of view, this makes sense, but it also means that he is not addressing the portion of the audience that walked away unconvinced. Without a rematch on the table, that reaction isn’t fading fast. It follows him into the next battle.
That’s why the win isn’t as clean as the record suggests. Officially, this is a clear decision. Unofficially, a noticeable part of the audience questions this. When a fight causes that kind of split reaction, and there’s no interest in fighting it back, the result never quite settles in the public’s mind.
For some fans, this victory now carries a spiritual footnote. They’ll see the win on paper, but they’ll remember a fight they believed he lost or at least didn’t control. That perception doesn’t go away because the belt stayed with him. It shows how seriously they take his calls and how they measure him against the other names at junior welterweight.
If Russell moves straight into a big fight, some of the audience will approach it with skepticism. They will want proof in the ring. A clear, dominant performance against a top opponent will silence most of the noise. Another close or debated decision will bring this conversation back to the surface.
He remains champion, and the belt confirms that, but full acceptance by fans will depend on what he does next and whether the next victory leaves no doubt.
