Alberto Puello vs Gary Antuanne Russell supposedly set, winner to fight Ismael Barroso

Just hours after kicking off, the WBA’s annual convention has already produced what promises to be the first of many baffling bits of news.

You’ll recall the shenanigans that ensued when Josh Taylor vacated his 140-pound title; the WBA had their top six contenders audition for the vacant title fight rather than just have the top two duke it out. They wound up ordering Alberto Puello (21-0, 9 KO) to fight no. 6 Batyr Akhmedov with the caveat that whoever win face Barroso within 90 days.

The sanctioning body has now changed its mind, announcing that Puello is set to make his inaugural defense against no. 8 Gary Antuanne Russell (16-0, 16 KO), with, once again, the caveat that Barroso gets next crack. Per Jake Donovan, however, multiple sources allege that the fight isn’t happening.

I’m hoping said sources are correct. Admittedly, Puello vs Russell would be an excellent matchup; Puello managed to matador his way past a similar breed of stalker in Akhmedov, but Russell’s power puts him on a different level. I’d just love to see one of these organizations honor its word for once.