By Miguel Rivera
Vasyl Lomachenko, the current super featherweight champion of the World Boxing Organization, is training hard for his upcoming fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux.
The bout, scheduled for December 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, will see Rigondeaux (17-0 11 KOs) - the WBA's super bantamweight world champion - move up by two weight divisions to challenge Lomachenko (9-1 with 7 knockouts) in an ESPN televised main event.
"I think he will fight like he's in his last match, he will try to run, to keep a distance and then the punches will come. I have not seen him be very aggressive [in his fights]," said Lomachenko to ESPN Deportes.
Lomachenko is preparing himself to use every punch in his arsenal to overcome Rigondeaux.
The two boxers are widely considered by many experts to be two of the best amateur fighters in boxing history. Each boxer has two Olympic gold medals around his neck.
"I'm training all of my punches, I do not like just polishing one, because it does not make me interesting. I like to show people that boxing is full of possibilities and you can do different things," Lomachenko said.
The manager of Lomachenko, Egis Klimas, expects the start slow and then really heat up as the contest continues.
''It's a chess game, they're two high-profile fighters, I do not think it's going to be an aggressive fight, they're going to try to feel each other out, it'll be boring at first... maybe for the first and second round, but then it'll be interesting," said Klimas.
"For people who understand boxing - this will be a good fight, but for mediocre people who do not know about sports and like the Mexican style where only punches are exchanged, they will not enjoy it."
A win would open up some big doors for Lomachenko, but he's not thinking about the future.
"I do not like to think about the future, I am focused on December 9. I make my career for my family, for myself, for leaving a legacy," concluded Lomachenko.