The obligatory ones that didn’t go away
Russell (29) was supposed to fight Hiraoka last November on the Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis card. However, that fight was canceled in November due to Tank’s legal problems.
When Jake scheduled a fight against Anthony Joshua on December 19, 2025, the Russell-Hiraoka fight was not included on the undercard. Afterwards, the card Russell vs. Hiraoka used because there were many complaints from fans about the lackluster fights supporting the main event. It looked like a skeleton team.
Despite the delay, 29-year-old Japanese native Hiraoka is still the WBA mandatory challenger for Russell’s belt. So, the fight will take place unless the WBA makes a new ruling,
There is still an official date of early 2026 for the Russell-Hiraoka fight.
Hiraoka is not well known in the US to casual boxing fans as most of his 24 career fights have taken place in his native Japan. So, Americans didn’t get the chance to see him in action.
Russell’s preferred options elsewhere
Russell would prefer to fight one of the notable fighters at 140, such as Richardson Hitchins. He repeatedly called out IBF champion Hitchins for a unification fight and was ignored each time. Hitchins lost to Antuanne four times in the amateurs. So it is not surprising that he has not shown eagerness to accept his challenges.
Another fighter Russell called out is Lamont Roach. Although he expressed interest in fighting him, his failure to defeat WBC interim light welterweight champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz on December 6 delayed any chance of Roach fighting Russell. Roach and Cruz fought to a 12-round draw.
