Battle For Lightweight Supremacy LOMACHENKO DETHRONES LINARES
video by YTC
Vasyl Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KOs) The fighter from Ukraine has an incredible resume, one that simply can not be matched in both the amateurs and professionally. Lomachenko won gold medals in multiple amateur world championships and claimed two consecutive gold medals in the Olympics, he finished his amateur career with a record of 396 Wins and only 1 loss. As a professional he has accomplished what no other fighter in the history of the sport has, Winning world titles in three weight classes in only 12 fights he has done what no other fighter has in such a short amount of fights. Lomachenko smashed the prior record of 20 set by Jeff Fenech in 1988.
Jorge Linares (44-4, 27 KOs) The fighter from Valenzuela also has an impressive resume, as an amateur he won several national championships in Venezuela. Linares finished his amateur career with a record of 89 wins and only 5 losses. As a professional fighter he too has claimed multiple World Titles in 3 different weight classes and is considered to be one of the best lightweight fighters on the planet.
In one of the biggest fights in boxing history Vasyl Lomachenko moved up in weight and challenged Jorge Linares for the 135 WBA Light Weight Title Of The World. Rounds 1-6 were highly competitive, Linares proved why he was Champion by going back and forth in a battle with Lomachenko trading combination for combination. Lomachenko slightly outworked Linares throwing punches in bunches in flashy combinations, giving him the slight edge in a close yet competitive fight. ESPN commentators would have you believe it was a one sided fight for Lomachenko not saying much whenever Linares landed a punch most likely due to the fact that Bob Arum and his highly rated fighter Vasyl Lomachenko have a contract to fight exclusively for ESPN. The momentum of the fight turns in Round 6 as Linares times Lomachenkos jab and catches him with an over hand right which drops Lomachenko with just under 30 seconds remaining, Lomachenko quickly jumps back up and like a seasoned veteran avoids further damage by moving away from Linares to end the round. Round 7 Linares fails to capitalize on the knockdown and resumes trying to counter punch and time Lomachenko. Rounds 8-9 Lomachenko regains control of the fight and continues to pepper Linares with fast shoe shine punches. Round 10 Lomachenko once again picks up the pace and peppers Linares with shots to the head and mid-combination loads up a left hand and hits Linares to the body with a liver shot as Linares tries to return fire dropping him to the canvas. Linares barely beats the 8 count but the fight is still waived off by the referee and Lomachenko wins in dramatic fashion after being knocked down via a highly competitive battle for light weight supremacy ! Lomachenko dethrones Linares and wins by TKO !
In this fight Jorge Linares and Vasyl Lomachenko solidified the fact that they are among the most elite light weight fighters on this planet and weren't afraid to put it all on the line by fighting each other. We witnessed history and an accomplishment we may not see matched let alone beaten in our lifetimes. Capturing World Titles in 3 weight classes in only 12 fights Lomachenko sets the world record for boxing. Lomachenko is being hailed by many media and TV outlets as pound for pound the #1 fighter on the planet. Is it fair to place him above undefeated Champions ? Champions who have never been dropped before ? In this fight we were reminded of Vasyl Lomachenkos vulnerability, we saw another side to the once portrayed "No Mas-Chenko" after he was dropped by Jorge Linares in the sixth round, Lomachenko also has a loss against veteran pressure fighter Orlando Salido. Should these things count against you in the "pound for pound" rankings ? In my opinion they should count against you but none the less Lomachenko has definitely proved to be in the top ten pound for pound fighters in the World, he has captured titles in 3 weight classes in only 12 fights with only one defeat and although that is impressive, I feel it does not earn you that #1 spot,not quite yet. Potential fights with Manny Pacquiao (59-7-2), Mikey Garcia (38-0), Gervonta Davis (20-0) and other elite fighters may help capture him that #1 spot in the future but until then I do believe the best is yet to come for the newly crowned light weight KING, Vasyl Lomachenko.
WRITTEN BY RICARDO ORTEGA
