Before he did what he said he was going to do and defeat Vasyl Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez also stated how he would “send Lomachenko back down to the 130 or 126-pound weight class.” Lomachenko might not want to hear this right now, disagreeing with last night’s unanimous decision that went Lopez’ way, yet in time he may see that Lopez is indeed correct. Down at 126, 130, Lomachenko had his way with his opponents (aside from Orlando Salido, who came in overweight in what was just Loma’s second pro fight), whereas up at 135, Lomachenko showed signs of vulnerability.
It seems a return to one of the divisions he previously conquered is an obvious move for Lomachenko. There could be some big fights for the 32-year-old in either division and maybe Lomachenko would get back to doing that which he is most accustomed to doing: winning. It’s unlikely there will be a rematch between Lopez and Lomachenko (there was no rematch clause in the contract but this aside, will Lopez even stay at the weight?) but Lomachenko may decide to stay at 135 and look to win his belts back against who knows who if Lopez does move up and vacates the belts.
But all signs point to a drop down in weight for Lomachenko. At this point, it’s far too early for Loma to make any decision in what he will do next, but if he does continue fighting as a 135 pounder, Lomachenko will always be giving away natural weight. And against elite lightweights such as Lopez, this is just too much. Even for as special a fighter as Loma.
Can Lomachenko, 14-2(10) rule again?
The current champions at 126 pounds are Josh Warrington (IBF), Gary Russell Jr (WBC – Russell being a man Loma has already beaten) and Emanuel Navarrete (WBO). Would Lomachenko be a favorite to defeat either champion?
At 130, the current champions are Miguel Berchelt (WBC), Joseph Diaz Jr (IBF) and Jamel Herring (WBO). How would Lomachenko do against either of these three guys? I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see Lomachenko face the winner of the upcoming Berchelt-Oscar Valdez fight.
But Lomachenko needs time to decide what his next move will be. But it really does seem as though it should be a move down in weight.
