Vasyl Lomachenko: 2017 Fighter-of-the-Year

Vasyl Lomachenko: 2017 Fighter-of-the-Year

WBO super featherweight world titleholder Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs) cemented his status as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world with a sensational 2017, in which he went 3-0 with three knockouts, culminating with a dominating sixth-round technical knockout victory over previously undefeated WBA/WBO/IBO junior featherweight world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, for his fifth title defense and third of the year.

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ESB Best of 2017! Lomachenko, Crawford, Joshua, More!

ESB Best of 2017! Lomachenko, Crawford, Joshua, More!

By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones & Justin Jones – With Hollywood’s award season upon us, and the 2018 Golden Globe® Award winners announced this past Sunday, we kick off the New Year by unveiling our yearly boxing awards starting with the 2017 Fighter of the Year.

And the nominees are. . .

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2018 Boxing Wishlist

2018 Boxing Wishlist

Written by: DeMarkus Jones – As the last few hours and minutes of 2017 tick away I cannot help but get excited about what 2018 holds for all of us die hard boxing fans. 2017 gave us a lot of good moments. The rise of Terrence Crawford. The dominating run of Vasyl Lomachenko. The fall of Roman Gonazalez. Golovkin vs Alvarez. Mayweather vs Mcgregor. I know there are so many other huge moments that I could name however this article is about the future. With that being said here are five things I am wishing to see in 2018.

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Top Rank fighters talk of 2018 goals

Top Rank fighters talk of 2018 goals

Boxing enjoyed an outstanding 2017 and before the crystal ball drops in Times Square to begin an even better year, Top Rank asked some of its fighters for their New Year’s resolutions. Here are their responses:

TERENCE CRAWFORD (32-0, 23 KOs) / Two-division world champion / 2017 BWAA Fighter of the Year nominee / 2014 BWAA Fighter of the Year

“My 2018 resolutions are to win a world title at my new welterweight division, making me a three-division champion, and to open the fully renovated B&B Boxing Academy here in Omaha for all the kids in my community to enjoy.”

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Jorge Linares says he’d stay at 135 for a Lomachenko showdown; feels it’s not a difficult fight for him

Jorge Linares says he'd stay at 135 for a Lomachenko showdown; feels it's not a difficult fight for him

While there is a growing sense that many top fighters are, if not exactly running away from Vasyl Lomachenko, not too enthusiastic at the idea of climbing into the ring with the Ukrainian southpaw, this is not the case with Jorge Linares. The reigning WBA and Ring Magazine lightweight king, in training for his January 27 defence against Mercito Gesta, has put it out on social media that after this fight is done and dusted, he and Lomachenko can fight:

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Vasyl Lomachenko asks his fans to vote on who he should fight next – then the P-4-P king goes duck hunting!

Vasyl Lomachenko asks his fans to vote on who he should fight next – then the P-4-P king goes duck hunting!

Vasyl Lomachenko is eager to fight again soon and he is asking his fans to tell him just who his next opponent (challenger is perhaps too strong a word, as in can anyone at 130 to 140 actually “challenge” Lomachenko?) should be. The reigning WBO 130 pound champ who is widely expected to move up to 135 soon, put out an online poll via his twitter page, asking fans to vote on who he should fight next.

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Boxing in 2017 – Oh What a Year! The Future Looks Bright, Despite the End of an Era

Boxing in 2017 – Oh What a Year! The Future Looks Bright, Despite the End of an Era

By Justin Jones: First, let me start off by giving the fighters, promoters, advisers, trainers, TV networks & executives, media members, and of course, the fans, a big round of applause (claps in circular motion)!

After a rather dull 2016, boxing fans were treated to a number of competitive and compelling matchups, seemingly every weekend this year. We witnessed history – Terrance Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) fully unifying the 140-pound division and two 2-time Olympic gold medalists get it on (Vasyl Lomachenko [10-1, 10 KOs] vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux [17-1, 11 KOs]). We were also treated to a number of pound-for-pound fighters willing to test their mettle against one another – Andrew Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) vs Sergey Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KOs), Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) vs Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-2), and Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux.

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