Comments Thread For: Lomachenko: Nakatani Is The Perfect Challenge For Me, I Wanted To Face A Top Contender

[NachoMan]

He is definitely a pioneer in boxing. He has a historical career. He will be a boxer who other amateurs will want to copy. Instead of allowing his promoter to feed him 20 tomato cans, he put his foot down and told Arum he wants to fight good fighters right off the bat. This guy pretty much promotes himself and is his own matchmaker. Top Rank/Arum work for him, not the other way around. He does not hide behind his promoter in order to get easy money. Other fighters appear to work for their promoter. Top Rank works for Lomachenko. He is technically his own boss and calls the shots. And he doesn’t exactly pick scrubs for himself.

I think his career will end up being the gold standard formula in the future. It’s very ballsy of him but he has a unique career. His amateur background was enough for him to want to skip the training wheels/baby bottle phase of his pro career.

Nakatani presents a fair challenge to Loma, but I really don't get Loma's reasoning for this choice. He's fighting in the one of the hottest divisions in the sport right now, one that is chock full of big names. Why not go after a champion or a better name? Loma doesn't have time to rebuild slowly, unless this is a confidence thing for him. It's odd to me that he thinks that beating Nakatani more convincingly than Lopez did will somehow demonstrate that he's better than Lopez. Only way to prove that is to beat Lopez, which he didn't and probably will hever have the chance to do again. Loma is a great fighter, but he will never be widely regarded as an ATG in the sport. He **** the bed in the most important fight of his career. He is a generational boxing talent, but he's shown himself to be something less than an ATG fighter.

[-Kev-]

Nakatani presents a fair challenge to Loma, but I really don't get Loma's reasoning for this choice. He's fighting in the one of the hottest divisions in the sport right now, one that is chock full of big names. Why not go after a champion or a better name? Loma doesn't have time to rebuild slowly, unless this is a confidence thing for him. It's odd to me that he thinks that beating Nakatani more convincingly than Lopez did will somehow demonstrate that he's better than Lopez. Only way to prove that is to beat Lopez, which he didn't and probably will hever have the chance to do again. Loma is a great fighter, but he will never be widely regarded as an ATG in the sport. He **** the bed in the most important fight of his career. He is a generational boxing talent, but he's shown himself to be something less than an ATG fighter.

Boxing, due to networks and promotional companies, is not as cut and dry as "just fight the best/a champion".

The Ring 135 top 10:

Lopez: Rejected a rematch, elected to fight his mando
Garcia: Fights for DAZN, is taking some time off due to "mental health"
Haney: Fights for DAZN/Matchroom. Hearn talking about Lopez vs Haney.
Commey: Rebuilding from his TKO loss to Lopez
Campbell: Already beat him
Fortuna: Fights on PBC. Wanted Garcia, fight fell through. Now promoter is trying to get him the supposedly "ducked" Haney.
Linares: Already beat him.
Kambosos: Lopez's mando
Nakatani: Just came off an upset TKO win, Top Rank fighter, fight isn't hard to make for Arum
Isaac Cruz: Unknown

Lomachenko is fighting the best fighter that is available to him.

[eco1]

Fair point, he didn't avenge Salido so maybe he's the kind of guy who moves on. If he's saying those things (I haven't seen those interviews, but I have no reason to doubt what you're saying) then it'd certainly back that up. Hey, if he beats Nakatani and Tank takes care of Barrios I'd sign up for Loma-Davis any day!

He did not because Salido preferred doing Uber than to rematch. He knew he was getting sparked, same thing for Lopez.

[NachoMan]

Boxing, due to networks and promotional companies, is not as cut and dry as "just fight the best/a champion".

The Ring 135 top 10:

Lopez: Rejected a rematch, elected to fight his mando
Garcia: Fights for DAZN, is taking some time off due to "mental health"
Haney: Fights for DAZN/Matchroom. Hearn talking about Lopez vs Haney.
Commey: Rebuilding from his TKO loss to Lopez
Campbell: Already beat him
Fortuna: Fights on PBC. Wanted Garcia, fight fell through. Now promoter is trying to get him the supposedly "ducked" Haney.
Linares: Already beat him.
Kambosos: Lopez's mando
Nakatani: Just came off an upset TKO win, Top Rank fighter, fight isn't hard to make for Arum
Isaac Cruz: Unknown

Lomachenko is fighting the best fighter that is available to him.

No he's not. I'll give you Teo, but if Loma calls out ANY of those guys (don't forget Tank) then the fight can get made. At the very least, for his own credibility, he should have aggressively called out another champion. He's relegating himself to 2nd-tier challenger for no good reason. Lomachenko is supposedly a surefire, first-ballot HOFer (to some a potential ATG) so every fight for the rest of his career should be significant. He's lost his confidence.

[Monty Fisto]

Go watch his interviews with the Russian chick who seems to have an exclusive with him these days. The one I remember most, he was asked who is the best in his division, direct. Names were provided. Loma didn't even pause too long before saying Gervonta Davis, then adding: "Tank is a beast." Most people on here saw it.

When did Davis become not a part of the lightweights? Or is that something you are making up?

What am I making up?

Compare how many fights he has had at LW with how many he has had outside LW and then factor in that he is now fighting at LWW. Put it all together and ask: in what way is it a useful to describe him as part of the lightweight division?

[BoxingIsGreat]

No he's not. I'll give you Teo, but if Loma calls out ANY of those guys (don't forget Tank) then the fight can get made. At the very least, for his own credibility, he should have aggressively called out another champion. He's relegating himself to 2nd-tier challenger for no good reason. Lomachenko is supposedly a surefire, first-ballot HOFer (to some a potential ATG) so every fight for the rest of his career should be significant. He's lost his confidence.

The bold is really the question mark for me. Even if he hadn't, I still wouldn't pick him to blitz Nakatani out of there. Loma could've chosen a much worse opponent for his comeback. This will be a good fight.

[filup79]

For all the praise Loma gets, Loma has beat nothing but belt holders. He has yet to beat a champion that is considered elite or future Hall of Famer. Yet writers and ppl were saying he was better fighter than Floyd. Yet ppl and some writers laugh at Broner being a 4 division champ, but he just like Loma beat belt holders or vacant titles. And they will make excuses for Loma, saying he was too small or was out weighed, when Floyd never had a problem beating fighters that outweighed him.

[alexjust]

No he's not. I'll give you Teo, but if Loma calls out ANY of those guys (don't forget Tank) then the fight can get made. At the very least, for his own credibility, he should have aggressively called out another champion. He's relegating himself to 2nd-tier challenger for no good reason. Lomachenko is supposedly a surefire, first-ballot HOFer (to some a potential ATG) so every fight for the rest of his career should be significant. He's lost his confidence.

Serious conclusion about his confidence...based on what? He is fighting somebody who has the size to be a LHW and who can actually fight. He does this after a serious surgery. People need to stop with this double standards nonsense when Eastern European fighters are held to much higher standard for no good reason. Loma called out Haney. Where is this fight? I followed Eddie long enough to see when he's eager to make a fight and when he's not. AJ - Fury - very eager, AJ - Whyte 2 not at all. Same as with Haney - Loma, they don't want this fight at the moment and I suspect the whole creme de la creme of the division is waiting for Loma to exit his prime.

[alexjust]

For all the praise Loma gets, Loma has beat nothing but belt holders. He has yet to beat a champion that is considered elite or future Hall of Famer. Yet writers and ppl were saying he was better fighter than Floyd. Yet ppl and some writers laugh at Broner being a 4 division champ, but he just like Loma beat belt holders or vacant titles. And they will make excuses for Loma, saying he was too small or was out weighed, when Floyd never had a problem beating fighters that outweighed him.

Other than Rigo, who was smaller or even same size of Loma? If memory serves me well, almost anyone Loma fought had a size/weight advantage over Loma. Loma has done remarkable things in boxing. You don't need to kiss his ass, but neither there is a need to blatantly deny him the due credit. Loma is one of the best fighters of the last 2-3 decades. If he beats a few more elite fighters soon, I'd be very comfortable saying he's ATG.

[MikeyG]

Go watch his interviews with the Russian chick who seems to have an exclusive with him these days. The one I remember most, he was asked who is the best in his division, direct. Names were provided. Loma didn't even pause too long before saying Gervonta Davis, then adding: "Tank is a beast." Most people on here saw it.

When did Davis become not a part of the lightweights? Or is that something you are making up?

You mean this video?

Beginning at 4:17

Only thing you got right is that he said:"Tank is a beast." Seems like Loma respects Tanks power. But in no way did he say anything about Tank being the best of the division. So maybe your memory is not good or you are adding things to fit your narative.