Why hasn't Lomachenko connected with an audience?

[Basco]

Style! The majority of the boxing fans are not hardcore fans. They like KOs, cement footed guys who stand and trade until somebody goes down. Obviously Loma does not fight remotely in that way.

[soul_survivor]

Style! The majority of the boxing fans are not hardcore fans. They like KOs, cement footed guys who stand and trade until somebody goes down. Obviously Loma does not fight remotely in that way.

Pacquiao, Duran, leonard, Ali, Chavez Sr, mayweather and wlad all say hi.

[Basco]

And they all but (Mayweather) got plenty of resounding KOs! Loma has a few TKOs, not the same! People like KOs!

[Kigali]

Too white IMO.

You can't be too white in America...or south America.....or Mexico....or Puerto Rico

[Kigali]

His first fight was on the Bradley/Marquez undercard

His next fight was a title shot against Salido as the co-Main Event on the Chavez Jr/Vera card

His third fight was against Gary Russell Jr on Showtime. Once again for the vacant WBO title

His fourth fight his first defense and it came on the Pacquiao v. Vargas undercard

His fight fight was the most coveted spot in boxing. He was the co-Main Event on the May-Pac undercard. They could've sold that spot to another promoter and got millions.

After that he fought on the Bradley/Rios undercard as the co-Main Event

His next fight he headlined MSG on Puerto Rico weekend. He was supported with a Puerto Rican fighter on the undercard and facing a Puerto Rican fighter for a title in the main event.

His last fight he fought Walters on HBO WCB.

Bob has done everything possible to make this guy a star and he's given him opportunities most other fighters would kill for. He's a handsome guy. Doesn't speak English but I dont think that's as big an obstacle as most others do. I have a theory but I don't want to say it just yet. I wanna see other people thoughts first.

It's mainly his weight division.

[SCEN3RY]

It's not any one thing, it's probably many different reasons.

Boxing is selling less than ever it seems with casuals, but Loma is also a small fighter, so unless you have a great many countrymen stateside, your ratings won't be impressive. He doesn't speak English. I believe this is a big thing; American fans can't connect with you if they don't know your personality, your speech mannerisms - they want to hear your unbridled opinion and not the accented interpretation of some other Ukranian guy.

Bob Arum has done a lot in a short span, but these things take time for every fighter, there are no exceptions. Furthermore, Top Rank might have to use a different platform to promote Lomachenko. The people at HBO clearly don't give 2 ****s about furthering their sports brand, it's dwindling in fact. I'm sure TR is aware of it, I'm just not sure how close or sure they are of an alternative route.

I think Loma is on the right path though. He's moved up in weight, he's had back to back stellar performances. I think if he keeps stopping quality guys, why shouldn't people take notice on the back of that alone?

Finally, great attractions need a breakout performance. He hasn't beaten a great attraction just yet.

So I don't exactly know how to say this without some people viewing it as racist or something but I don't look at Loma and think he's white like me. Yeah he's white and all but its not like I feel some connection to him just because of his skin color. As a white guy from the midwest I feel I have more in common with Mayweather than Loma. So yeah I feel you're idea that white people don't support their own is kinda off in this case. I wasn't a fan back in the 90's so I can't really speak to that stuff.

Glad you pointed this out. I don't think people get it. American [white] fans connect more nationalistically than they would foreign color (it's even very evident on NSB). Just turn on CNN and hear that garbage journalism tell you, "Russia is the enemy" everyday every hour. Some of it is political, some of it is ignorance, but there is clearly no connection between this white American and that "Rusky." Do you guys really think Canelo is going to draw impressive numbers today if you remove Mexican households? Especially in this niche sport where it's not a team sport within the States; you're automatically divided by your nationality.

[Scipio2009]

The simple point, imo, is that Vasyl Lomachenko has yet been given the chance to be established anywhere as a base; he and his camp work out of Oxnard, CA, but his audience (if there is one for him) is likely going to be found in NYC (urban area with the largest Ukranian/Russian-speaking populace in the country).

His boxing rep is what it is, but an audience has yet to see him enough to even ponder rallying to him.

Base him out of the Theater at MSG, let him "press the flesh" in his most likely market, and see what happens

[The Tribe]

he's a stiff dude who resorts to dirty tactics but he still got some skills.

but he's like what, 122 pounds soaking wet? and white americans dont really get behind their fighters so i can see why he has aboslute **** for a fanbase.

[joseph5620]

I think loma has connected fine.....

This walters domination really put him on the map... Same way Cotto dominating pinto, or morales beating junior jones, or hopkins beating tito, crawford beating Postol, RIGO beating donaire
It puts you on the map....

This was loma's first big time fight, and he shined,,, his profile grew substantially

I agree. Add to that, there are very few superstars in boxing currently. Lomachenko's situation is not unusual.

[joseph5620]

I saw a video the other day of Loma speaking english. He speaks english and it isn't to bad. And what do you mean Duran wasn't an American star? He had a Pepsi commercial and DeNiro just made a movie about his life.

Because he was fighting Sugar Ray Leonard and it was a 7up commercial.. That was the fight that crossed Duran over to the mainstream. Before that he was not a mainstream star in America for casual boxing fans.