For all of the talk that Saturday's lightweight title fight against WBA champion Jorge Linares is, on paper, likely the toughest fight of Vasiliy Lomachenko's career, the majority of pre-fight talk has centered exclusively on the two-division champion's artistry and longterm potential for historical greatness.
More on the fight: 'Hi-Tech' out to prove he belongs | How to watch | Preview podcast
Yet the man who will share the ring with Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs) inside New York's Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) enters as the class of the 135-pound division for the majority of this decade. He also enters on a 13-fight win streak, among the sport's most beautiful at combining speed, precision and technique.
"This is the fight that boxing fans wanted," Linares said. "This will be a super fight between two of the best champions. Not only will I demonstrate why I'm the best lightweight in the world, but also that I'm one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I have the speed, skill and power to win this battle. This [Saturday], Vasiliy Lomachenko will bow down to 'King' Jorge."
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Lomachenko will enter this fight with plenty of questions needing to be answered even though the two-time Olympic gold medalist is on the verge of something unprecedented in boxing history with just 11 fights under his belt.
Will the size, power and speed properly carry up to 135 pounds with Lomachenko, allowing him the same dynamic advantages he has enjoyed en route to becoming recognized, in almost record time, as boxing's best fighter?
Lomachenko vs. Linares fight card
| Favorite | Underdog | weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Vasiliy Lomachenko -1400 | Jorge Linares (c) +750 | Lightweight title |
Michael Conlan -10000 | Ibon Larrinaga +1600 | Featherweight |
Linares has not been beaten in the ring since 2012 when he lost via stoppage to Antonio DeMarco and Sergio Thompson, putting his elite status in jeopardy. But all Linares has done since is rattled off 13 consecutive wins with seven coming by way of stoppage.
"I went through some tough times," Linares said. "Back-to-back losses, a lot of people wrote me off. But hard work and my dedication got me back in there. I'm going through the best moment in my life right now -- a 13-fight winning streak -- and it's all because of hard work. I went through some tough times, I suffered, but I was able to get myself up and that's what gets me ready in the morning. I can wake up early in the morning because of the motivation of fighting the best."
Linares, a native of Venezuela who fights out of Japan, isn't blind to the challenge he faces in Lomachenko. But unlike Lomachenko's most recent victory, when Guillermo Rigondeaux moved up two weight divisions and suffered his first pro defeat after quitting on his stool, Linares knows this will be a much different fight due to his advantage in size.
"The best I can tell you is I fell asleep and I stopped watching," Linares said about Lomachenko-Rigondeaux. "It wasn't his [Lomachenko's] fault. [Rigondeaux] made him look bad. But he had more advantages than Rigondeaux and he destroyed him. Now reverse it. He's the smaller guy. Be careful, so maybe the same thing happens to him."
Lomachenko has made the last four opponents he faced ask out of the fight before the 12-round distance. He makes no such guarantees against Linares, however.
"I can't talk about [how smart and experienced Linares is] before the fight," Lomachenko said. "I need to check, I need to feel. A lot of people think [highly] about him, but he's never fought with a boxer like me. Understand? After the fight, I can answer. I'm not worried about it because I know my boxing, I know my style. I know my power.
"Linares is one of the best fighters in his weight class. I don't think it's going to be easy work."
Prediction
For as breathtaking and fluid a pure boxer as Linares is, with lightning quick combinations, he operates in a very orthodox style. And simply put, there is nothing traditional about the way that Lomachenko, a southpaw, operates.
Like an early prime Manny Pacquiao, it's nearly impossible to properly prepare for Lomachenko because of his incredible footwork, hand speed and ability to land pinpoint punches from awkward angles. While Linares certainly has the craft, length and quickness to make this an even and competitive fight throughout the first half, and enough pop to force Lomachenko to be honest, it remains to be seen whether he has an adjustment for every trick that "Hi-Tech" brings to the table.
Lomachenko is always thinking, always adjusting and inevitably finds a way to land clean. Unless his punch resistance is severely compromised in the new division, it's hard to imagine him not eventually finding an avenue to dictate both the pace and distance of the fight, while lowering Linares' output in doing so.
Linares has a great jab that he uses to set up his combinations. But landing said punch consistently against a jitterbug southpaw in Lomachenko is far from an easy proposition. Without that as a base, Linares may find himself fighting from behind. It's a scenario which may become problematic considering his history of controlling fights as a frontrunner.
Just as when a slugger finally meets an opponent who either can take his punch or is able to counter even harder, the same frustration can come for a skilled artist who finally meets someone more creative, abstract and versatile.
Lomachenko very much appears to be a special talent that only comes around every quarter century. While it's hard to predict another dominant victory, similar to his recent sucesss at featherweight and junior lightweight, considering the talent that Linares possesses, it may be just as foolish to doubt he won't do it again.
While the streak of making opponents quit will likely come to an end, Lomachenko's impressive run appears to be only beginning.
Pick: Lomachenko by UD12.
