The door is open for Vasiliy Lomachenko to reclaim his spot atop the lightweight division.
Fourteen months ago that notion seemed unthinkable. The 33-year-old boxing wizard from Ukraine lost a wide decision to Teofimo Lopez in October of last year, after which he blamed an injured shoulder and said the judges were bribed.
Lopez suddenly was the man at 135 pounds, with hot young stars Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia hot on his heels. Lomachenko was deemed by many to be a has-been.
Well, a lot has happened since the Lomachenko-Lopez fight. Garcia stepped away from boxing to tend to mental health issues. Lopez lost his undisputed championship to George Kambosos in a stunning upset, which might be attributable in part to problems related to his team and health issues.
And this past weekend the feared Davis, who says he fought with an injured hand, looked human in a close victory over Isaac Cruz while Haney looked good, but not spectacular in his win over Joseph Diaz Jr.
All that gives Lomachenko a chance to pull even with his lightweight rivals or even surpass them if things go his way.
“I’m not going to say if I am the number one lightweight,” said Lomachenko, who faces Richard Commey on Saturday in New York (ESPN and ESPN+). “That’s a question for the fans. I always want to show my skills in the ring, and I hope the fans enjoy what I do. We can discuss my future after Saturday night.
“Of course, Kambosos is a fight I would like. He is the new champion, and he had a great performance against Lopez. But Commey deserves my full attention, and that is the task I am focused on now.”
Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) essentially didn’t show up for the first half of his fight against Lopez. He threw 58 punches in the first six rounds, less than 10 per round. He rallied in the second half but couldn’t climb out of his deep hole.
He blamed the slow start on an injured right shoulder, on which he had surgery the day after the fight. He said he protected the shoulder early in the first six rounds and opened up only when he knew he was behind on the cards, when it was too late.
The scores were decisive: 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie also had it 116-112 for Lopez, who became the man to beat at 135 pounds and leaped onto many pound-for-pound lists.
Lomachenko immediately questioned the scoring and later, after watching the fight on video, said he believed it was a draw. Then he suggested judges Steve Weisfeld, Dave Moretti and Patricia Morse Jarman were on the take, which struck many as reckless and evidence that he was nothing more than a sore loser.
That’s all in the past, however. He recovered from the surgery and stopped Masayoshi Nakatani in nine rounds in his comeback fight this past June. Now he has the fight with the hard-punching Commey, which could lead to a shot at one of the other big names at 135 and a chance to reclaim former glory.
He says he’s healthy and locked in.
“My goals keep me motivated, one of which is to become undisputed champion,” he said. “Commey is one of the division’s most dangerous fighters, and he is the one standing in my way.”
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