LOS ANGELES – It wasn’t just that Jose Santa Cruz didn’t understand what Gary Russell Jr. was saying in that viral video last weekend.

Leo Santa Cruz’s father/trainer didn’t even know it was Russell filming him in a locker room at Rabobank Theater in Bakersfield, California. According to Leo Santa Cruz, his father mistook Russell for another boxer when Russell put his arm around Jose Santa Cruz, admiringly touched his gold chains and called out his son for “ducking” him.

“My dad didn’t know what was going on,” Leo Santa Cruz told a group of reporters prior to a press conference Saturday at Staples Center. “He thought it was Rico Ramos, because they kinda look alike. He didn’t know it was Gary Russell. He thought it was Rico Ramos, like he was just saying hi to him and saying that, oh, he liked his chains and stuff. Because my dad, he don’t understand English. So, he was saying he was going along [with it], ‘Oh, I like your chains.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah!’ But after that, he said he didn’t know what was going on.”

Russell drew some criticism for using Santa Cruz’s unsuspecting father for a video that the WBC featherweight champion posted on social media.

Russell emphasized during the video that he had to do something extreme to get Leo Santa Cruz’s attention in an attempt to finally make that fight happen. He later explained that his intent wasn’t to disrespect Jose Santa Cruz.

Nevertheless, Leo Santa Cruz stated Saturday that he, too, wants to fight Russell.

The 31-year-old Santa Cruz (36-1-1, 19 KOs), of Rosemead, California, instead will face Houston’s Miguel Flores (24-2, 12 KOs) in a 12-round fight for a vacant version of the WBA’s 130-pound title on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz undercard November 23 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old Russell (30-1, 18 KOs), of Capitol Heights, Maryland, doesn’t have a fight scheduled.

“Maybe [Russell] wanted too much money and stuff like that,” Leo Santa Cruz said. “But on my side, I wanted that, too. I said, ‘Let’s make it happen.’ But I know the promoters couldn’t come to an agreement on something. I don’t know. It was maybe money-wise. I don’t know.”

Leo Santa Cruz mentioned a potential fight against Gervonta Davis more Saturday than a long-discussed showdown with Russell, who beat Santa Cruz in the amateurs. Baltimore’s Davis (22-0, 21 KOs) recently moved up from the 130-pound division Santa Cruz just entered to lightweight.

Santa Cruz said neither he nor his father took Russell’s stunt to heart.

“After I talked to my dad, he didn’t take it [personally],” Santa Cruz said. “This is boxing. This is what you get in boxing. And you have to get used to it if you’re in boxing. That’s what fighters do, they talk to get under your skin, to make the fight happen. This is boxing.”

Santa Cruz added that he has become accustomed to Russell talking trash to him.

“I know Gary Russell,” Santa Cruz said. “I know him like in the amateurs, me and him fought. And in the amateurs, he would talk stuff to me. ‘Hey, you need to eat some food,’ because I was too skinny. I was fighting at 119, and I was like 116. And he was like, ‘Hey, you need to eat something,’ and kinda like talking sh*t to me. I’m used to it. I’m used to him doing that, so I think, you know, he’s always been like that.”

 Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.