Vasyl Lomachenko – Miguel Marriaga this Saturday; can the Colombian give the pound-for-pound star a fight?

07/31/2017 James Slater

Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko is so good, fans do not want to see him fight against anything other than truly elite opposition, each and every time out. The two-weight champ with the deceiving pro record – 8-1(6) in no way being numbers that are indicative of the 29 year old southpaw’s formidable talents – wants the big, big fights himself, but for now he must make do with the Jason Sosas and Miguel Marriagas of the world.

This Saturday, in what will be another boxing boost for ESPN (the network recently having exclusive rights to superstar Manny Pacquiao’s shock upset loss to Jeff Horn; ESPN also set to showcase the August 19 140 pound unification clash between Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo), Lomachenko will take on Colombia’s Marriaga, 25-2(21).

Lomachenko talks Marriaga fight

08/04/201707/25/2017 Top Rank

Next week, two-division world champion and pound for pound superstar VASYL “Hi-Tech” LOMACHENKO (8-1, 6 KOs), of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine, who has won his last five fights by knockout, returns to a Los Angeles ring for the first time in over three years when he headlines an all-action card, Saturday, August 5, at Microsoft Theater, located at LA Live! Lomachenko will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight world title against two-time world title challenger and Top-10 contender MIGUEL “Escorpión” MARRIAGA (25-2, 21 KOs), from Arjona, Colombia. He won 15 of his previous 20 fights by way of knockout.

Vasyl Lomachenko-Guillermo Rigondeaux? Lomachenko says he would “destroy him like a tank!”

07/15/201707/14/2017 James Slater

If superb boxing masters Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeax ever did somehow meet, in what would have to be a catch-weight affair, what with Lomachenko being such a naturally bigger man – we would see, arguably, the two finest boxers in the world today going against each other.

Lomachenko vs Marriaga Tickets On Sale

07/13/201707/12/2017 ESPN Boxing

Los Angeles boxing fans, prepare to enter The Matrix! Two-division world champion and pound for pound superstar VASYL “Hi-Tech” LOMACHENKO returns to a Los Angeles ring for the first time in over three years when he headlines an all-action card, Saturday, August 5, at Microsoft Theater, located at LA Live! Lomachenko will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight world title against two-time world title challenger and Top-10 contender MIGUEL “Escorpión” MARRIAGA. The co-main event will feature three-time world title challenger and top-rated lightweight contender RAY “Sugar” BELTRAN defending his NABF and NABO lightweight titles against former two-time interim World Boxing Association (WBA) super featherweight world champion BRYAN VASQUEZ. The four gladiators boast a combined professional record of 102-12-1 (67 KOs).

Lomachenko’s Pound for Pound Path

04/14/201704/14/2017 Chris Carlson

Vasyl Lomachenko is a hot-button topic across many social media platforms and of course in boxing forums. Nobody can deny or argue against Vasyl’s skill-set, the main sticking point of this recent debate is just how great this two-time gold medalist from the Ukraine is.

Based off HBO’s broadcast team a casual boxing fan may assume Loma is the best fighter on the planet. HBO and Bob Arum will tell you he’s hands down the best fighter of this still developing generation. Arum loves to skip right on past Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones, Pernell Whitaker, and unbelievably the four kings of the 1980’s. That’s right Bob has to journey all the way to the 1970’s to compare Lomachenko to the great Muhammad Ali. Let us not forget, at least Arum is the promoter so one can expect him being overzealous at times.

Vasyl Lomachenko: Was any fighter in history greater at just nine pro fights?

04/12/2017 James Slater

Fighters can achieve greatness in a number of different ways: some, such as heavyweight terror Mike Tyson, make a huge impact in just a short period of time and become world champion after a veritable handful of fights; others, such as the once seemingly ageless Bernard Hopkins, achieve it through longevity, beating up Father Time at a time when retirement had long since looked close.

Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Ward, GGG, Lomachenko, & Klitschko/Joshua!!

04/11/2017 Vivek Wallace

Robbie N. (Texas): You can argue that Andre Ward lost (to Kovalev), we saw GGG look beatable against Jacobs, and Roman Gonzalez is obviously beatable, as well. What argument can be made against placing Lomachenko as #1 in your opinion?

Vito W.: I’ll give my thoughts, but as I’ve indicated before, I don’t subscribe to the ‘mythical’ angle. When we look at the text book definition of P4P, there’s no true angle for multiple men to wear that badge at one time. (For further explanation, please see past articles/mailbags where I’ve touched on that topic). As it relates to the ‘mythical’ perspective, I still think naysayers have an angle to keep him from the #1 spot, for the simple fact that he hasn’t done enough in the sport to claim the title. I think from a skill standpoint, what makes him most dangerous is the fact that he has an amazing offense to dispatch with that incredible footwork/defense. The last guy we saw deeply skilled on both offense and defense has some thinking he’s “TBE” (Mayweather). Loma has very similar attributes, and as a result, could create that same type of legacy.

Make way for the new stars: Lomachenko, Crawford, Thurman are today’s pound-for-pound best

04/10/201704/10/2017 James Slater

Manny Pacquiao’s star is fading, Andre Ward has been labelled dull by fight fans so many times he has stopped caring, and Sergey Kovalev may well see himself closely, narrowly outboxed and outscored by S.O.G in their June return. So who today is deserving of the mythical but also lofty title of pound-for-pound king?

It seems we have to make way for the new guard, for the news stars: Vasyl Lomachenko, the pick for many even before this past weekend’s utter dismantling of a very good fighter in Jason Sosa, and Terence Crawford, he of the speed, accuracy and power, and also Keith Thurman, a throwback in terms of constantly seeking out the very best opposition and thus far beating them.

Vasyl Lomachenko looks unbeatable in stopping a brave Jason Sosa

04/09/201704/09/2017 James Slater

Reigning WBO super-featherweight king Vasyl Lomachenko looked utterly unstoppable in halting a brave but outclassed Jason Sosa last night. Forcing Sosa’s corner to retire their warrior after nine wholly one-sided session, “Hi-Tech” looked for all the world like an unbeaten fighter.

As we know, however, Lomachenko, 8-1(6) is not unbeaten; as hard as it may be to believe when you see such utter dominance over good fighters who are made to retire on their stool against him – Sosa being retired this time, Nicholas Walters quitting last time. One man has beaten Lomachenko as a pro, in tough Mexican warhorse Orlando Salido, but that came in the dazzling Ukraine boxer’s second pro outing.

Results: Lomachenko beats Sosa; Usyk and Gvozdyk win

04/09/201704/08/2017 Jeff Sorby

In a one-sided mismatch, Vasyl Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs) battered and beat down Jason Sosa (20-2-4, 15 KOs) in scoring a 9th round TKO to retain his WBO super featherweight title tonight at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The fight was stopped at the urging of Sosa’s corner at the end of the 9th.

Lomachenko had beaten Sosa badly to the point where the contest needed to be stopped. Thankfully, Sosa’s corner had the wisdom to stop the fight because it really needed to be stopped a round earlier in the 8th when he was badly hurt. Sosa’s face was swollen from the punishment that he’d absorbed in this hopeless mismatch.