Tag: Vasilily Lomachenko

Vasiliy Lomachenko has opportunity to reclaim past glory

Vasiliy Lomachenko has the opportunity to reclaim past glory beginning Saturday against Richard Commey.

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.”

[lawrence-related id=26582,21482]

Vasiliy Lomachenko has opportunity to reclaim past glory

Vasiliy Lomachenko has the opportunity to reclaim past glory beginning Saturday against Richard Commey.

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.”

[lawrence-related id=26582,21482]

Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez agree to terms: reports

The Vasilily Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez Jr. fight reportedly is on for October, although the contracts have not yet been signed.

The Vasilily Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez Jr. fight is on for October, although the contracts had not yet been signed, according to multiple reports.

Top Rank and David McWater, Lopez’s manager, agreed to terms on Wednesday after negotiations hit an impasse over the Lopez’s portion of the purse. Lopez earlier agreed on his share.

The fight, originally targeted for Oct. 3, will take place on Oct. 17 or 24 in the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas. BoxingScene is reporting that it is likely to be televised on ESPN, not pay-per-view.

Tefimo Lopez Sr., the fighter’s father and trainer, told the website that his sign expected to sign paperwork on Thursday.

“We came to an agreement,” McWater said. “The fight will take place later in October than Oct. 3, but we have a deal. It was a complicated deal but we made it. [Bob] Arum and I have been talking and we finally got it done.”

According to reports, the sides had to determine how to split an estimated $4.7 million overall purse. Lomachenko was offered around $3.45 million, which left $1.25 for Lopez, who demanded more and held out.

And his intransigence apparently has paid off. He reportedly will receive around $2 million. Lomachenko had said he would be willing to accept less money to make the fight happen.

“Bob was a complete gentleman. He never raised his voice to me,” McWater told BoxingScene. “Everything with Bob was completely businesslike. We’re both businessmen. It was easy, not easy. You know? It was one of those things that everybody was a gentleman and polite.

“We had to make an arrangement and we got to something where everyone was happy.”

As a result, fans will get to see one of the more compelling possible matchups in the sport.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) is No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list and holds three of the four major lightweight titles, one being the WBC’s “franchise” title. Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs), a dynamic young boxer-puncher, holds the fourth belt.

Some believe Lomachenko, 32, is vulnerable in what could be a torch-passing event.

“The whole world will see it and we will get more recognition when we beat Lomachenko, and that’s good for us,” Lopez Sr. said. “It’s going to be a beautiful fight between two great fighters doing the best that they can do to win.”

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