WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (8-1, 5 KOs) defeats Jason Sosa (20-2-4, 15 KOs) by TKO at the end of the ninth round in front of a sold out crowd of 2,828 at the brand new MGM National Harbor just outside of the nation's capital.
The iconic tale of the 29-year-old Lomachenko who is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner for his native Ukraine is starting to take on mythical proportions as is his meteoric rise atop of the pound for pound list.
Lomachenko dominated every minute of each round against an overmatched Sosa whose heart overshadowed his ability to compete with Lomachenko. It seemed as if Sosa was battling a man with 6 arms as Lomachenko's movement baffled the Puerto Rican fighter from Camden, New Jersey all night.
After a feeling out round in the first, Lomachenko started getting off combinations which landed on Sosa in the second and it was evident that Sosa was in for a long night. Sosa tried to let his hands go in the third but simply could not find Lomachenko in the ring. The Ukranian's defense was the difference in the early rounds as Sosa could only whiff and eat an exchange counter back from Lomachenko.
Lomachenko continued pushing the action in the fourth and started to land harder shots which caused a swelling around both of Sosa's eyes. Lomachenko found an opening on Sosa's body in the fifth and started raking shots across the abdomen which reverberated through the arena. Lomachenko, sensing Sosa's frustration in the sixth, began toying with him egging him on hoping to catch the tough Sosa in a mistake which would end the bout. Sosa swung for the fences and missed wide while Lomachenko moved masterfully and popped Sosa's head back with stinging combinations.
By the seventh round the best Sosa could do was land one punch at a time which had little no effect on Lomachenko who looked as if he wasn't even showing the full arsenal yet. Fearing the end was near, Sosa tried to make the bout more physical in the eighth which only allowed Lomachenko to get closer and land a bruising six-punch combination which went unanswered and nearly caused the referee to nearly stop the bout. The ninth round was another one sided round in which Lomachenko would land clean combinations and Sosa could only try to cover up until the onslaught ceased. At the point the corner consisting of Sosa's father would not allow him to get hurt any further and informed the referee that Sosa had had enough.
Sosa surpassed the common opponent he and Lomachenko shared as he proved to have a larger heart than Nicholas Walters who was outclassed by such an easy margin last November by Lomachenko that he simply refused to continue to fight after the seventh round. Earlier in the year Lomachenko scored a stinging, highlight-reel knockout of Roman "Rocky" Martinez in New York City and the legend of Lomachenko began to grow that he was more than just a technically superior boxer. Lomachenko also understands the business of boxing and knockouts garner attention.
Lomachenko, who's only professional defeat came in his second bout when he challenged Orlando Salido for the title, is the fastest boxer to win a world title in two weight divisions. If none of the other 130 pound champions choose to fight Lomachenko this year he will campaign at 135 and go for a third world title and hopes to land a megafight with Mikey Garcia. As for avenging his only professional defeat:
"When I fought Salido it was a third grader fighting with a twelve grader," Lomachenko said. "Well now I am graduating from university and I invite Salido to come to my university."
In the evening's co-feature rising Ukranian light heavyweight prospect Oleksandr "The Nail" Gvozdyk (13-0, 11 KOs) stopped Yunieski Gonzalez (18-3, 14 KOs) in three rounds. The official time of the stoppage was 2:55.
The 29-year-old 2012 Olympic bronze medalist dominated the ultra-durable Gonzalez and had the Cuban fighter out on his feet before referee Harvey Dock at the insistence of Gonzalez' corner called a halt to the bout.
Gonzalez came out of his corner in the first round firing hard shots at the Ukranian but was not able to land anything meaningful. Gvozdyk avoided the body shots and managed to counter with his own power shots in a competitive opening round. Gvozdyk let his hands go in the second catching Gonzalez with clean right hands. By the third round the bout it was apparent the bout had become a mismatch as Gonzalez was unable to handle Gvozdyk's power punches. An overhand right caused the first knockdown in which Gonzalez never fully recovered. The veteran Cuban boxer tried his best to hold on but Gvozdyk landed combinations at will causing a second knockdown and ultimately the stoppage.
With the win Gvozdyk picked up the vacant NABF Light Heavyweight title.
WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs) retained his title with a twelve-round unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Michael Hunter (12-1, 8 KOs). The official scores at ringside were 117-110 x 3.
Usyk, who won a gold medal for Ukraine at the 2012 London Games, got out to a slow start and allowed Hunter to press the action for much of the early rounds. Midway through the fourth round Usyk let his hands go and attacked Hunter's body. Hunter tried to counter with body shots of his own but Usyk was clearly landing the harder, more punishing punches. As they bout moved into the later rounds Hunter tried to trade with Usyk at close range but the Ukranian southpaw was out-landing the game Hunter and had Hunter on the ropes with the referee moving in get a close look. Hunter survived the tenth round and managed to end the bout on his feet. Usyk hurt Hunter in the last round nearly sending him through the ropes.
This was Usyk's second defense of the WBO title he captured in Poland last September when he earned a unanimous decision over Krzyszof Glowacki. Last December in his first title defense Usyk stopped Thabiso Mchunu in Los Angeles.