The Mandatory 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 wasn’t included on the undercard. In hindsight, the card could have used Russell vs. Hiraoka, because there were a lot of complaints from fans about the lackluster fights supporting the main event. It looked like a skeleton crew.
Despite the delay, the 29-year-old Japanese native Hiraoka is still the WBA mandatory challenger for Russell’s belt. So, the fight will happen unless the WBA makes a new ruling,
There’s still an official date in early 2026 for the Russell-Hiraoka fight.
Hiraoka isn’t well-known in the U.S by casual boxing fans, as most of his 24 career fights have taken place in his native Japan. So, Americans haven’t gotten the chance to see him in action.
Russell’s Preferred Options Elsewhere
Russell would prefer to fight one of the notable fighters at 140, like Richardson Hitchins. He’s repeatedly called out the IBF champion Hitchins for a unification fight and has been ignored each time. Hitchins lost to Antuanne four times in the amateurs. So, it’s not surprising that he’s not shown eagerness to accept his challenges.
Another fighter that Russell has called out is Lamont Roach. Although he’s expressed interest in fighting him, his failure to defeat WBC interim light welterweight champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz on December 6th delayed any chance of Roach fighting Russell. Roach and Cruz fought to a 12-round draw.
