Gary Russell Jr to face Oscar Escandon, November 14 on Showtime

Gary Russell Jr's first WBC featherweight title defense is set, as it was announced on tonight's Showtime Championship Boxing broadcast that the 27-year-old American will face Oscar Escandon on November 14. A venue is not set, and Showtime will televise.

Russell (26-1, 15 KO) smashed Jhonny Gonzalez to win the belt on March 28 on Showtime, dropping him twice en route to the fourth round stoppage win. That came nine months after his first world title shot, a loss to Vasyl Lomachenko.

Escandon (24-2, 16 KO) is not really a serious contender, but the 31-year-old Colombian isn't an easy out. Both of his losses have come by split decision, to Nehomar Cermeno in 2013 and Moises Flores earlier this year, which was Escandon's last outing. In 2014, he scored a controversial decision win over Tyson Cave. So against opponents of a lower level than Russell, he's struggled, meaning this probably doesn't figure to be a competitive matchup.