Do not abbreviate Vasiliy Lomachenko.
The 35-year-old former pound-for-pound king made a big impression on the public after he lost in a unanimous decision and his lightweight titles to upstart Teofimo Lopez in October 2020.
The fact that he fought with a shoulder injury but recovered in the second half to make the fight competitive? Does not matter. The boxing wizard from Ukraine has lost his invincible aura and a lot of respect.
Lomachenko will have a chance to regain much of what he’s lost this Saturday, when he challenges undisputed 135-pound champion Devin Haney to a pay-per-view match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Vegas.
If he loses, he could be seen as one of the top figures in the sport. If he wins, it will be one of the more impressive comebacks in recent memory.
“Camp is tough as always,” he said. “But I was very motivated[ed]. It was motivating because I understood that this was my last chance to be undisputed. So I pushed myself in every training session. And now only… days left.
“He talks about the past, but it’s hard to say things about the past. You cannot change it. Even if you talk about it, you can’t change it. Only God can change it.”
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) was a star before he had his first professional fight.
The two-time Olympic champion is considered by some to be the greatest amateur boxer of all time. That’s why he was able to challenge 126-pound belt holder Orlando Salido to a second bout in 2014.
Lomachenko lost the decision partly because of the veteran opponent’s rough tactics but that did not discourage him. He edged out one opponent after another to claim titles in three categories in his next 12 bouts, which lifted him to the top of several weight lists.
Then there is Lopez, a passionate 23-year-old with both talent and desire. According to CompuBox, Lomachenko didn’t appear for the first seven rounds, delivering a total of 80 punches (11.4 per round). The inactivity has allowed Lopez to take the lead on the scoreboard.
Lomachenko finally woke up but he couldn’t climb out of the hole he dug himself. England lost 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112.
Later, Southpaw revealed that he had been training with an injury to his right shoulder. A doctor told Yahoo Sports that Lomachenko “had severe bruising on his rotator cuff and chipped a piece of cartilage,” and that he had surgery a few days after the game.
Lomachenko thinks he deserves the decision despite a slow start but he is in the minority. Thus, at the age of 32, he has dropped rapidly in the pound list and has become something of an afterthought.
The war in Ukraine also affected his career as he served in the army. He has only fought once since Russia invaded his country early last year, passing Jamaine Ortiz last October to earn a shot at Haney.
What can we expect from him against one of the hottest young boxers in the game?
Lomachenko hasn’t complained about the shoulder after any of his three wins since the Lopez loss. He looked sharp in those games, clearly showing that he has a lot to offer even if he’s not quite what he used to be.
And he will never be more motivated for a war than for this one. He knows his career as an elite boxer is in the balance. This could be his last chance to be the undisputed champion and at the same time regain all the lost respect.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for him.
“Look, I’m ready,” Lomachenko said shortly after the win over Jamaine Ortiz. “I am ready for any option. … You know what motivated me? Four belts.”
He said that before he and Haney reached an agreement to fight each other. That means this is the match he has long coveted, perhaps the last great chance in a great career.
Does he have a more special performance in him? Don’t count him out.
