10 Rounds of action came to a thrilling halt yesterday evening as Vasyl 'Hi-Tech' Lomachenko captured the WBA Super World Lightweight title! The former WBO feathweight champion cleaned out his division, and did what the greats of any era do... he moved up and rose to the challenge of bigger men and greater challenges!
Lomachenko vs. Linares looked like David vs. Goliath in some moments: Jorge was absolutely massive in stature, and he had immense offense the entire night even dropping the former Olympian and Gold Medalist in the 6th Round! We have never seen Lomachenko in such danger, but we had never seen how he adapts to the much larger, and more powerful man.... but now we know his true capabilities!
Lomachenko is special, he is not only a boxer but a brilliant thinker and tactician. In the moments Linares would chain 8 punch combos to the body and head, Lomachenko would pick his defense for the harder shots and counter a single left hand down the pipe. The accumulation of straight, hard shots to the head gradually slowed Linares' pace and ability to cut off the ring.
The most interesting thing about this fight were the unknowns, and now that the fight is over, we have so many more questions with the answers. Linares was actually winning the fight on two of the judge's scorecards which implies that his survival of two more rounds could have led to the win! Lomachenko was a 20 to 1 favorite moving up in weight class to fight a champion who hadn't lost in 6 years, and would be the much larger man in the ring (which he was). The respect fans and critics alike have for Lomachenko is not only unanimous, but undeniable!
We are witnessing the birth of a phenom, and don't let the 11-1 record fool you, that loss in the beginning of his pro career was the best thing that ever happened to him.. and the dirty tactics of an old veteran can force even the most talented of fighters to struggle. Many believe Lomachenko beat Salido, but that fight is irrelevant to the body of work and absolute skill Lomachenko possesses and presents in the ring.
A man born with the name Cassius Clay morphed himself into a boxing god named Muhammad Ali. The loss to Frazier was necessary to craft the mental fortitude Ali utilized to become an icon... the become the Greatest of all Time. Nobody will ever be Muhammad Ali, but nobody will ever be Vasyl Lomachenko!
Vasyl has another fight already lined up for August of this year, make sure not to miss it... because if you do, you are missing history!