Vasiliy Lomachenko is considered by some to be the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet, but his matchup taking place on Friday night serving as his latest return to the ring leaves a lot to be desired. Despite that, though, legendary promoter Bob Arum spun it wonderfully when enticing fans to come out and watch the unified lightweight champion do his work.
"It's the equivalent of watching Picasso do a painting," the 87-year-old Arum said. "What a great thrill that would be. It's a great thrill for people who love boxing to watch this guy fight. It's something that's unique. It's something that we won't see again for many years. All fans should come out and watch this because this is an artist at work."
Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs), the technical wizard from Ukraine who twice won Olympic gold medals, returns Friday to defend his WBA and WBO titles at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (ESPN+, 11 p.m. ET) to take on Anthony Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs), but he's not the foe Top Rank was hoping to get.
Richard Commey looked spectacular in stopping Isa Chaniev in February to boldly claim the vacant IBF title at 135 pounds. He also injured his hand in the process, forcing the promotion to cancel plans for a unification fight. Instead, the 31-year-old Lomachenko will face Crolla, a former titleholder from Great Britain.
Even though the 32-year-old Crolla holds the credentials of having knocked out Darleys Perez to win the WBA title in 2015 before losing the title to Jorge Linares, oddsmakers have made him as high as a +4000 underdog.
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"People aren't giving me a chance, but that doesn't matter to me," Crolla said. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The motivation to me is attaching my name to one of the biggest upsets in British boxing history, without a doubt, and I don't think I'm speaking out of turn there. As a boxing fan and someone that lives and breathes the sport, that's all the motivation I need.
"I've been the underdog all throughout my career and I know that this is by far the biggest challenge I've faced, but it's one I can't wait to get stuck into."
Crolla will need to find a way to slow down the southpaw Lomachenko's footwork and blinding speed. He refers to Lomachenko as "a very unique fighter" and praises his "exceptional movement and great angles" but still believes he will find a way to "shock the world."
Just how he plans on doing that will be interesting to see. Lomachenko, who won a world title at featherweight in just his third pro bout, has now won titles in three divisions and has been outright dominant save for a flash knockdown suffered against Linares in May 2018.
"I anticipate a good and entertaining fight. I want to enjoy [myself] during the fight. All of my fights, I have enjoyed," Lomachenko said. "I saw his fights with Linares. Anthony Crolla has a very defensive style. I have my strategy, and I plan on showing it Friday night. I will find the key to his defense. I have to be aggressive and throw a lot of punches. I want to win and I don't like to lose. That is my motivation. I always think about the fans and putting on a show in the ring.
"I need two more belts to become undisputed champion. In my next fight, maybe I will unify with Richard Commey. Everyone asks me about Mikey Garcia, but can he make 135? If he vacates his belt, we will see what happens. If he can cut the weight, I'm ready."
In the co-main event of the evening, Gilberto Ramirez will make his light heavyweight debut when he takes on Tommy Karpency. The 27-year-old Mexican boxer will make the move up in weight class after scoring three wins in 2018 at super middleweight. He is undefeated in his pro career. Karpency, meanwhile, is on a three-fight win streak of his own, with all three victories coming via knockout.
Fight card
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Vasiliy Lomachenko (c) -8000 | Anthony Crolla +1800 | Lightweight titles |
Gilberto Ramirez -5000 | Tommy Karpency +1400 | Light heavyweights |
Prediction
Although Lomachenko has seemingly found his physical ceiling at lightweight and was forced to make adjustments against Linares and Jose Pedraza to offset the size difference, Crolla simply doesn't have the punching power to make Lomachenko pay. He also isn't technical enough to be a threat to outbox the world's best boxer.
It will be an uphill battle for Crolla from the start and it may take a commitment to slowing down the pace of the fight and trying to time Lomachenko coming in with big counter shots to have any type of success. The problem even with that strategy is how well Lomachenko can potshot to the body to wear his opponents down.
Simply put: Crolla is a huge underdog for a reason and despite a three-fight win streak which includes a decision over Ricky Burns, this is a style matchup that is all kinds of wrong for him.
Pick: Lomachenko via TKO8
