As next Saturday October 17th inches closer, the boxing world patiently waits in anticipation as Vasyl Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) will take on Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) in “the bubble” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A fight in which many hoped a crowd could be present will now host only a few hundred people. Fans although disappointed, will still get a show in what is stated as one of the best fights to close out a dreadful year in sports, mostly due to the COVID pandemic. However, this fight could be the start of a run of great fights on the horizon. This undisputed bout is one that has been talked about for what feels like ages and we were lucky enough to see a deal recently made. Lomachenko AKA “The Matrix” is clearly the smaller man and is more naturally in the 126-130 range but being a multi unified champion across multiple weight classes is an aspiration for him. Lopez feels that the 135lb division is not for his opponent and he plans to become undisputed and then potentially move up to 140. Before we see who wins this battle, we need to take a closer look at each opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
First up, the one and only Vasyl Lomachenko who many know as one of the best amateur boxers of all time with only one loss. He eventually avenged that loss and has gone on to win multiple titles across multiple weight divisions. He is also known for his wild training techniques, which include; brain puzzles, swimming (holding his breath over 3 minutes under water), solo tennis, marathon running, and other dexterity workouts for both his mind and body. (Checkout our blog post about his unique training drills). At age 32 Loma is the older and more experienced fighter, but he has admitted his body has tired a little. However, the 14-month layoff has given his body time to heal and he is ready to come that much closer to his dream of unifying a third division. We expect the same Loma as every fight and to come out trying to dictate the fight. He will want to fight aggressive and keep the pressure on Lopez. If Loma can get into a rhythm, then he could eventually pick Lopez apart and win the fight. Although we have not seen Lomachenko fight going backwards it doesn’t mean he can’t do it. It will be interesting to see if this happens come next Saturday. Loma is a southpaw, while Lopez is orthodox, and this can sometimes cause clashes and/or stepping on each other’s feet. We must say that one of Lomachenko’s only flaws are that he tends to get beat up in his fights as of late. A clash of heads in such a high caliber fight could be very costly to either fighter. The best thing to come from the long layoff for Loma is that all his old lingering injuries should fully be healed. Lomachenko will use his technique, foot work, experience in the ring, and we expect him to need every single bit of it. But what about Teofimo, can he pull off what many think he can’t? Let’s take a look at his resume.
The young bull champion Teofimo Lopez is coming into this fight ready for all out war. He has stated numerous times that he does not like Lomachenko and plans to take all his belts. This would truly mean “the takeover” is here to stay. Lopez has size as advantage and plans to use it. He is a big 135lb fighter and super aggressive. But don’t mistake Lopez for a foolish fighter, as his technique is calculated and has a specific placement for his punches. Team Lopez think that Lomachenko cannot fight going backwards and they plan to test this theory next weekend. Lopez contains that one punch KO and he could use it to end the night early. We expect him to go just for that and try to calculate a huge punch that will end the night for Loma. Lopez has also stated he can fight going backward and that whatever the fight brings he is ready; he is a pure brawler. It will be 10 months since Lopez last fought and took the title from Richard Commey (29-3, 26 KOs) with a huge TKO punch. Lopez plans to use all his attributes from being a brawler to his pure boxing skills, which he tweaked as an amateur. A downfall we could see for Lopez is that as he goes for one of his big shots, Lomachenko will create space with movement he has not seen before and get countered. Although this may not knock Lopez out, we can see it wearing on him as the fight goes on and causing problems in the later rounds.
Who do you think will win this showdown? Let us know in the comments below!
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