Tag: Egis Klimas

Vasiliy Lomachenko apologizes to fans, says rematch up to Teofimo Lopez

Vasiliy Lomachenko has apologized to his fans after losing to Teofimo Lopez Jr. this past Saturday in Las Vegas.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on DAZN.com.

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Vasiliy Lomachenko has apologized to his fans after losing to Teofimo Lopez Jr. this past Saturday in Las Vegas, and offered some insight into what the future holds.

The Ukrainian was defeated for the first time since he lost a split decision to then-featherweight titleholder Orland Salido in his second pro fight.

Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) hasn’t said much since the fight, but on Thursday he told 112 Ukraine: “It is always challenging to comment on something right after the fight. I would like to watch the fight first and then say something.

“Getting closer [to Lopez] was quite a challenge. The size, the reach played a huge role. I would like to apologize to everyone, apologize to my team, and thank you for all the support.”

Lomachenko also admitted that a potential rematch against Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) is out of his hands.

“It depends on him,” he said. “If he can give me a rematch, then, of course, I am ready.”

Lopez’s team offered little hope of a second fight. The champion’s manager, David McWater, said that while Lopez might remain at lightweight for a while, a rematch makes little sense to them.

“I can’t imagine a rematch,” McWater said. “Older guy never wins a rematch. If they fight again, Teofimo would hurt him badly. I don’t think Loma brings enough viewers to the table to pay both guys.”

Lomachenko’s promoter, Egis Klimas, confirmed this week that the fighter had surgery on his right shoulder Monday.

He said the injury was a combination of a pre-existing problem and further aggravation sustained in the second round against Lopez. It’s the second time the 32-year-old has gone under the knife for his shoulder. The first time was in May 2018.

“When he arrived in the States to prepare for the fight, he said in Ukraine he felt the sharp pain in his right shoulder,” Klimas said. “We took him right away to Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache to examine him.”

ElAttrache oversaw his operation in 2018.

[lawrence-related id=14862,14821,14814,14776]

Vasiliy Lomachenko apologizes to fans, says rematch up to Teofimo Lopez

Vasiliy Lomachenko has apologized to his fans after losing to Teofimo Lopez Jr. this past Saturday in Las Vegas.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on DAZN.com.

***

Vasiliy Lomachenko has apologized to his fans after losing to Teofimo Lopez Jr. this past Saturday in Las Vegas, and offered some insight into what the future holds.

The Ukrainian was defeated for the first time since he lost a split decision to then-featherweight titleholder Orland Salido in his second pro fight.

Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) hasn’t said much since the fight, but on Thursday he told 112 Ukraine: “It is always challenging to comment on something right after the fight. I would like to watch the fight first and then say something.

“Getting closer [to Lopez] was quite a challenge. The size, the reach played a huge role. I would like to apologize to everyone, apologize to my team, and thank you for all the support.”

Lomachenko also admitted that a potential rematch against Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) is out of his hands.

“It depends on him,” he said. “If he can give me a rematch, then, of course, I am ready.”

Lopez’s team offered little hope of a second fight. The champion’s manager, David McWater, said that while Lopez might remain at lightweight for a while, a rematch makes little sense to them.

“I can’t imagine a rematch,” McWater said. “Older guy never wins a rematch. If they fight again, Teofimo would hurt him badly. I don’t think Loma brings enough viewers to the table to pay both guys.”

Lomachenko’s promoter, Egis Klimas, confirmed this week that the fighter had surgery on his right shoulder Monday.

He said the injury was a combination of a pre-existing problem and further aggravation sustained in the second round against Lopez. It’s the second time the 32-year-old has gone under the knife for his shoulder. The first time was in May 2018.

“When he arrived in the States to prepare for the fight, he said in Ukraine he felt the sharp pain in his right shoulder,” Klimas said. “We took him right away to Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache to examine him.”

ElAttrache oversaw his operation in 2018.

[lawrence-related id=14862,14821,14814,14776]

Vasiliy Lomachenko arrives in U.S. for Teofimo Lopez clash

Vasiliy Lomachenko has arrived in the U.S. to continue training for his Oct. 17 lightweight title unification fight against Teofimo Lopez.

Vasiliy Lomachenko has arrived in the U.S. to continue training for his Oct. 17 lightweight title unification fight against Teofimo Lopez. And he reportedly is pumped.

The 32-year-old Ukrainian star, ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound by Boxing Junkie, landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night. He’ll hold camp at his home gym in Camarillo, about a one-hour drive north of downtown L.A.

“He was in a very happy mood,” Egis Klimas, the fighter’s manager, told ESPN. “We called Bob [Arum], and we said, ‘Bob, Loma is here,’ and Bob gave us a little speech about how happy everybody is, excited about [the fight], and Loma just said a couple of words: ‘Bob, I can’t wait for Oct. 17.'”

“… It’s the most excited he’s ever been for a fight because he says, ‘Finally, we are in a fight everyone is waiting for.’ Because even before, they were good fights, [but] people weren’t talking about it. But this fight everybody is waiting for.”

Klimas believes we haven’t seen the best of Lomachenko.

“Let me tell you: Nobody has seen Vasiliy in the ring more than 65 percent of what he can do because he has never had any opponents who could push him in the ring,” he said. “Nobody can push him with what he needs to show what he can do 100 percent. So we never saw who really Lomachenko is.”

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) holds three of the four major 135-pound titles, including the WBC’s “franchise” title. He’s coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Luke Campbell in August of last year.

Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) holds the IBF belt. He last fought this past December, when he stopped Richard Commey in two rounds to win his title.

The fight will take place inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. It will be televised on ESPN.

Vasiliy Lomachenko arrives in U.S. for Teofimo Lopez clash

Vasiliy Lomachenko has arrived in the U.S. to continue training for his Oct. 17 lightweight title unification fight against Teofimo Lopez.

Vasiliy Lomachenko has arrived in the U.S. to continue training for his Oct. 17 lightweight title unification fight against Teofimo Lopez. And he reportedly is pumped.

The 32-year-old Ukrainian star, ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound by Boxing Junkie, landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night. He’ll hold camp at his home gym in Camarillo, about a one-hour drive north of downtown L.A.

“He was in a very happy mood,” Egis Klimas, the fighter’s manager, told ESPN. “We called Bob [Arum], and we said, ‘Bob, Loma is here,’ and Bob gave us a little speech about how happy everybody is, excited about [the fight], and Loma just said a couple of words: ‘Bob, I can’t wait for Oct. 17.'”

“… It’s the most excited he’s ever been for a fight because he says, ‘Finally, we are in a fight everyone is waiting for.’ Because even before, they were good fights, [but] people weren’t talking about it. But this fight everybody is waiting for.”

Klimas believes we haven’t seen the best of Lomachenko.

“Let me tell you: Nobody has seen Vasiliy in the ring more than 65 percent of what he can do because he has never had any opponents who could push him in the ring,” he said. “Nobody can push him with what he needs to show what he can do 100 percent. So we never saw who really Lomachenko is.”

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) holds three of the four major 135-pound titles, including the WBC’s “franchise” title. He’s coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Luke Campbell in August of last year.

Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) holds the IBF belt. He last fought this past December, when he stopped Richard Commey in two rounds to win his title.

The fight will take place inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. It will be televised on ESPN.

Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez appears set for Sept. 19

Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez appear to be headed toward a Sept. 19 showdown.

Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez appear to be headed toward a Sept. 19 showdown.

That’s the date Top Rank’s Bob Arum gave ESPN for the lightweight title-unification bout that was supposed to have taken place on May 30 at Madison Square Garden. It was canceled because of the coronavirus.

The September fight likely would take place behind closed doors, which reportedly is OK with both fighters.

Arum, who promotes both of them, said they want to fight before the end of the year.

“In talking with Lomachenko and Lopez, neither of them want an interim fight,” Arum said. “So we would plan to do that in September, with or without an audience.”

Added Egis Klimas, Lomachenko’s manager: “Nothing matters. As long as Lopez is coming in the ring with Lomachenko.”

Arum has said Lomachenko-Lopez would be a pay-per-view event because of its magnitude.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) last fought last October, when he defeated Luke Campbell by a unanimous decision. Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) is coming off his biggest victory, a second-round knockout of Richard Commey that earned him one of the 135-pound titles in December.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 33, announces retirement from boxing: report

Oleksandr Gvozdyk, the former light heavyweight titleholder, reportedly is retiring from boxing at 33 to pursue business opportunities.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s knockout loss to Artur Beterbiev in a title-unification bout this past October evidently was his last fight.

Gvozdyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, told ESPN that the former light heavyweight beltholder is retiring from boxing at 33 to pursue business opportunities.

The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Ukraine won his title by stopping Adonis Stevenson in 11 rounds in December 2018, successfully defended once and then lost it by a 10th-round stoppage against Beterbiev.

“He’s a very smart guy, so he thinks it’s going to be inconvenient for him to do that kind of business and box at the same time,” Klimas told ESPN Tuesday afternoon. “So he needs to give himself 100% to boxing or business. So he decided to do that.”

The loss to Beterbiev didn’t play a role in Gvozdyk’s decision, Klimas said. However, a rematch might be the only thing that could bring him back.

“Actually, what kept him from moving away from boxing, that motivation to go back into the ring, was Beterbiev,” Klimas explained. “That was the only one holding him because he wanted to get that rematch. There might be a possibility that someone will get him a rematch, he might change his mind.”

Trainer Teddy Atlas, who worked with Gvozdyk, thinks a lot of his former protégé.

“All you need to know is that I wasn’t planning on coming back [to train], just like I wasn’t with Timmy Bradley at the time. I only did it because of the kind of human being that he was, same as Timmy,” said Atlas, who reportedly spoke with Gvozdyk about his decision Monday.

“Obviously he was a tremendous fighter, a bronze medalist, won a world title. But again, it starts with me, my decision to train him, it was all based on visiting him for a few days and seeing the kind of person, the father, husband and man that he was.”

Usyk manager: ‘It would be big problem to not box for long time’

Oleksandr Usyk hopes his fight with Dereck Chisora on May 23 will go on as scheduled and lead to a busy end to a chaotic year.

Staying busy, one of boxing reliable formulas, is quickly becoming impossible amid the wave of cancellations forced by the coronavirus pandemic, yet Oleksandr Usyk still has a date he hopes will lead to a busy end to a chaotic year.

May 23 against Dereck Chisora at London’s O2 Arena is still on Usyk’s schedule. How long it will be there is anybody’s guess. Boxing in the United States has gone dark through at least the end of April.

Bouts in early May appear to be tentative. Promoters reportedly have postponed the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders super middleweight fight, scheduled for May 2, until sometime in June, a month that already includes Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defense against Kubrat Pulev on the 20th, also in London.

If the coronavirus threat subsides, maybe Usyk-Chisora will be the first bout in boxing’s return. Usyk can only hope. And maybe pray.

“Oleksandr wants to be in the ring to get busy,” Usyk manager Egis Klimas told Sky Sports after the Chisora fight was formally announced last week. “It would be a big problem to not box for a long time.”

Usyk hasn’t fought since his heavyweight debut, a stoppage of late stand-in Chazz Witherspoon in October. Injuries, including one to an elbow, have plagued him. The former cruiserweight champion was initially expected to make his second heavyweight appearance on March 28. Yet, he continues to rank as the mandatory challenger to one of the belts held by Joshua (AJ).

“It’s very good when people talk a lot about Tyson Fury and AJ, because every time they talk they mention me as the mandatory challenger,” said Usyk, No. 5 in Boxing Junkie’s latest pound-for-pound poll.

“I don’t really like to guess what’s going to be in the future. My guess is that everything is pre-defined by the Lord, and all we need to do is to wait for our time to come. But if someone tries to cheat us, we will fight for our rights. Someone may just try to cheat us.”

For now, coronavirus is cheating just about everybody. For now, fighting it is the only fight.

Read more:

Pound-for-pound: The top stars’ immediate plans

 

Oleksandr Usyk could face Derek Chisora next, says manager

Oleksandr Usyk said he wanted to fight for a title after his successful heavyweight debut but might face Derek Chisora first.

Oleksandr Usyk didn’t waste any time. He went from a predictable victory in his heavyweight debut to saying he wanted a shot at a title in his next fight.

Not so fast.

It’s beginning to sound as if Usyk is altering his timetable.

Usyk manager Egis Klimas said the former cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight would be interested in a bout with Derek Chisora. No title there. But Chisora would keep Usyk busy in what would also be a chance to get some more experience at his new weight.

Usyk plans to be Saudi Arabia on December 7 for the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch on DAZN. Three of the major belts are at stake in that one. The fourth is at stake on November 23 in champion Deontay Wilder’s rematch with Luis Ortiz in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.

“We don’t know what happens on December 7,’’ Klimas told Sky Sports. “But if it is possible to fight in between and not to wait for another six months, I think Chisora will be a good fight for Usyk.”

Usyk, who held all of the cruiserweight belts, is already the mandatory challenger for one of the heavyweight belts held by Ruiz, who upset Joshua on June 1 in New York.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn has said that the December 7 winner will probably vacate one of the belts.