Vasiliy Lomachenko: record, next fight and profile →
Vasiliy Lomachenko had plenty to say in the aftermath of his lightweight championship defeat to Teofimo Lopez. The most important lesson he took away from the fight is that there isn’t else he can say that will change the outcome.
Former world champion Anthony Crolla is backing Vasiliy Lomachenko to return in sensational fashion on Saturday night, when he returns to the ring against dangerous Masayoshi Nakatani in Las Vegas. The contest will be the first for Lomachenko since suffering a twelve round decision loss to Teofimo Lopez in their unification clash last October.
Lomachenko, Nakatani Final Press Conference Photos Gallery - Former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko is ready for the next chapter. Eight months after losing an undisputed lightweight title match to Teofimo Lopez, "Loma" returns Saturday night in a 12-round lightweight bout against Japanese contender Masayoshi Nakatani at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. (photos by Mikey Williams)
Masayoshi Nakatani wasn’t exactly sure what would come of his off-the-canvas knockout win over Felix Verdejo. Needless to say, a showdown with former three-division titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10KOs) was as great an opportunity as he could ask for in the absence of a show at the lightweight championship.
By Jake Donovan - Vasiliy Lomachenko is ready to embark on the road to reclaim his status as among the sport’s very best fighters. The former three-division titlist returns to the ring this Saturday in an intriguing showdown versus perennial Top ten lightweight contender Masayoshi Nakatani. Their scheduled twelve-round lightweight bout—which airs live on ESPN+ from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas—marks Lomachenko’s first since losing his WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” lightweight titles to Teofimo Lopez last October 17 at nearby MGM Grand Conference Center.
LAS VEGAS – Teofimo Lopez hasn’t paid much mind to the comments Vasiliy Lomachenko recently made about their fight. The former three-division champion told ESPN’s Mark Kriegel that after watching his loss to Lopez repeatedly, Lomachenko is convinced that their 12-round, 135-pound championship match should’ve resulted in a draw. Lopez upset Lomachenko by unanimous decision October 17 to retain his IBF belt and won the WBA, WBO and WBC “franchise” championships from the Ukrainian southpaw.
George Kambosos Jr. won’t waste any time going after Teofimo Lopez on June 19. Kambosos promised that he’ll approach Lopez much differently than how Vasiliy Lomachenko fought Lopez. A curiously cautious Lomachenko’s low punch output in the first half of their lightweight title unification fight clearly cost the former champion on the scorecards.
Vasiliy Lomachenko is ready to move on with his career—and away from wild conspiracy theories. The former three-division titlist struggled to cope with his unanimous decision loss to Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12KOs) in their three-belt lightweight unification bout last October at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Lomachenko (14-2, 10KOs) went viral in the aftermath, though for all of the wrong reasons after alleging that the judges were dishonest and that the final punch statistics provided by Compubox were rigged against him.
Canelo Alvarez is universally considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. In some instances, pundits and publications alike have slightly discredited Alvarez’s resume and haven’t listed him in the No. 1 position.
Vasiliy Lomachenko is set to return and isn’t looking for a soft touch to work his way back into the mix. The former three-division titlist and pound-for-pound entrant is confirmed to next face Japan’s Masayoshi Nakatani. The bout will take place June 26, live on an ESPN platform from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.