By Radio Rahim
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum is expecting a Fight of The Year candidate on Saturday night, when Vasyl Lomachenko defends his WBO super featherweight title against Nicholas Walters (26-0-1, 21KOs) in an HBO televised main event from the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
Lomachenko (6-1, 4KOs), with only seven pro fights to his name, is already a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. He is also regarded by many as the best amateur fighter of all-time with two Olympic gold medals on his back.
The fight was initially targeted for last year, but there were monetary issues that weren't solved until a few months ago.
Last Saturday's fight between undefeated light heavyweights Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward, which also took place in Las Vegas, was seen by many - before the fight took place - as a potential Fight of The Year candidate. It didn't work out like that, with the contest ending with a controversial twelve round unanimous decision for Ward.
Arum has not watched Kovalev vs. Ward, but he's read several negative reviews about the fight.
Unlike Kovalev-Ward, Arum feels confident that Lomachenko vs. Walters will live up to the hype.
"This is an extraordinary competitive fight. Nicholas Walters is the hardest puncher in the division. But he just doesn't throw hayemakers. He can box, he can move. And Lomachenko may be the best boxer in the world today. It's a good interesting fight and I think it's going to be a candidate for Fight of The Year," Arum told BoxingScene.com.
"One thing I can assure, that fight [between Ward and Kovalev] will not be a candidate for Fight of The Year. That fight was not Fight of The Year based on what I read what the fight was... there was too much holding, not enough action. It will not be a Fight of The Year candidate."
