As many other writers and fans noted since Saturday’s lightweight unification bout on ESPN, Vasiliy Lomachenko failed to truly impress in his forced merging of the WBA and WBO world titles. Don’t tell that, though, to the ESPN announce crew, which was, predictably, electric-orgasmic with every movement the two-time Olympic gold medalist made. But let’s put aside the ESPN cheerleading for now.
Defending WBO titlist Jose Pedraza had a lot to do with Lomachenko looking less than superhuman for most of the fight. The Puerto Rican boxer, who was always a very good fighter with a smart style, was especially sharp on Saturday. He placed his punches well and nullified much of Lomachenko’s magic-through-movement with a keen sense of anticipation, bolstered by some of his own use of off-putting angles.
However, the talent gap was evident and it was clear throughout the contest that Pedraza, for as sharp and as motivated as he was, could not win. Pedraza was simply not as good as Lomachenko in any area. Everything Pedraza could do, Lomachenko could do better. And the end result showed via a wide unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards and two nearly fight-ending knockdowns in the eleventh round.
But, still, Lomachenko wasn’t LOMACHENKO. And this is the second straight fight where the Ukraine’s favorite son wasn’t LOMACHENKO.
And the reason for that is pretty simple to see—it’s because Lomachenko isn’t really a lightweight.
Oh, yeah, he may be fighting at 135 and he’s 2-0 in the division against high-end opposition, but just looking at him on Saturday, matched against Pedraza, and then remembering how he looked when side by side against Jorge Linares back in May, one can see the size disparity. Lomachenko is a small-framed fighter, probably best suited for super featherweight or even featherweight.
The high-end of the lightweight division is typically a home for fighters bound to junior welterweight or even full welterweight, where there’s infinitely more attention and money to be found. Lomachenko succeeding at back-to-back bouts against Linares and Pedraza is a testament to his own ability and hard-to-decipher style. It’s also a benchmark of true boxing greatness to continue a trend of success beyond the point where pure physicality and strength is the major contributing factor.
But to expect the dominant brilliance from Lomachenko at 135 that he displayed at 126 is unrealistic because, again, he’s now plying his craft against larger fighters who, by the way, are still small enough to be damn quick.
In coming weeks and months, there will be pressure on Vasiliy to move up even further because, beyond the two lightweights he beat already, there’s not much in the way of challenge for the 3-division world champ. A move to a recently reborn junior welter class, which boasts a roster of young, strong, and hungry talent like Regis Prograis, Josh Taylor, and Jose Ramirez, could be too much for the 30-year-old.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see where Lomachenko is taken. The options are: one more step up, further disadvantaging himself against larger fighters in the pursuit of big fights and a challenge, or stay put at lightweight where he gives up some edge, but has little to threaten him anymore.
Quick (S)hits:
-- Mike Coppinger of RingTV.com is reporting that the second season of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) tournament may be in danger of falling apart due to money issues. According to Coppinger, several fighters are waiting on substantial victory bonuses from tournament quarterfinal bouts and, overall, the organization is having some disputes over funding. This second run of tourneys includes competitors in the cruiserweight, junior welterweight, and bantamweight divisions. The WBSS’ US rights were recently scooped up by DAZN, but that doesn’t seem to have helped much in bottom line bill paying. It would especially be a shame if fans lost out on an eventual Regis Prograis-Josh Taylor showdown in the junior welter tournament, a bout which could establish elite star status for the victor.
-- HBO Boxing officially ended its run of 40+ years Saturday night with a whimper from its deathbed. The broadcast consisted of three mismatch blowouts—two of which were female bouts— and some teary-eyed farewells, including the return of longtime curmudgeon, the 87-year-old Larry Merchant. As I wrote in a piece for my other gig at Boxing.com, it was a fitting farewell for HBO’s deeply diminished boxing product: “Old men chatting up a self-indulgent storm during a shitty card.”
-- Teofimo Lopez delivered a highlight reel knockout against Mason Menard on the Lomachenko-Pedraza undercard Saturday. The 21-year-old has the power and the swagger of a star and is a fun fighter to watch. It’ll also be fun to see how he progresses as he moves from journeyman and club fighter opposition to high-end competition.