Gary Russell Jr. was all smiles as he strolled to the ring on January 22nd, earlier this year. Standing across from the Maryland native at the Borgata, Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, was the then-undefeated and unheralded, Mark Magsayo.

With Russell seemingly banking the first three rounds, his attempt at defending his WBC featherweight crown took a turn for the worse in round four. In what appeared to be a freak accident, Russell suffered a debilitating injury to his right shoulder, something he claims was a pre-existing ailment.

While he continued to fight valiantly, he would go on to suffer just the second defeat of his career before subsequently being ushered into the operating room. Since having his shoulder surgically repaired, Russell (31-2, 18 KOs) has refused to remain idle on the sidelines as he works his way back.

“I been doing a lot of aggressive physical therapy,” said Russell to a group of reporters. “Real aggressive physical therapy.”

Ultimately, despite Russell’s title reign coming to an unexpected end, he hasn’t shown any clear interest in facing Magsayo in the immediate future. Six months after usurping the Maryland product, Magsayo suffered defeat in the first defense of his newly won trinket against Rey Vargas via split decision.

Admittedly, Russell acknowledged that in addition to being uninterested in a rematch against Magsayo, he’s also unmoved by facing anyone at the moment. Although at one point, Russell proudly defended his featherweight crown over a five-year stretch, considering the severity of his recent shoulder injury, and despite the 34-year-old attacking his rehab assignment vigorously, he’s unsure if he’ll ever regain his once dominant form.

“I’m not jumping into anything prematurely. I don’t know if my arm is going to get back to 100% for me to be able to perform in the way that I really want to but we're in the process of it.”