Every chance taken is another chance to win..
In the aftermath of Saturday night’s bout, we have a new champion crowned. Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) stepped in to the ring and up to challenge, to take the titles home. The fight was scored 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111 Lopez.
To say Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) is a master of the craft is a statement that gets thrown around a lot but it is NOT without reason. His movement, rhythm and domination of fights is there for all to see. He is a boxing purist with in-ring intelligence that is unmatched in this era. You will only have to go onto the @turnpro_boxingclothing account to see how much we bow down to the magic he creates in the sport.
So, what went wrong for the former three-weight world champion?
History shows us that Lomachenko feels out his opponent initially until the time is right to turn the tables, dictate the rest of the rounds and take home that win. Lopez on the other hand, did not waste any time. The challenger went straight to work, especially in the early rounds. He went for the body, taking advantage of the high guard that Loma possesses – something that other fighers have not been able to exploit.
Lomachenko's conditioning and speed is such a big asset and Lopez managed to work his body to stutter that. Loma - who connected more often with his jab - threw half as many shots as Lopez, who landed more efficiently and powerfully.
Although it never seemed that Lopez was going to get him out of there, it was clear that Lomachenko was falling behind and the slow start meant he'd lost a many rounds. There needed to be a response, and there was.
Lomachenko began to grow into the fight, hold the centre of the ring and hunting down Lopez. His ability to work the angles to exploit his opponent was cleverly countered by Lopez's adaptability. He adjusted to the angles, he moved well and stayed alert. Credit to Teofimo Lopez, he dominated early when he needed to, and when Loma came for him, he stayed in there, dug deep, bit down and used his brain. In the 12th round it seemed Lopez's corner were telling him he'd got it won as long as he kept fighting smart staying on the outside. The intelligence in-ring was there but the 12th was not without stand out moments. Loma came searching for that KO but Lopez responding with some heavy shots of his own.
Las Vegas judges scored it 116-112, 119-109 and 117-111.
At 23, Lopez is the youngest four-belt champ in boxing history, a worthy winner. Chances were taken, dominance was executed and when the inevitable wave came from Loma, Lopez remained focussed and showed the division how it's done.
What did you think? How did you score it? Let us know over on our IG @turnpro_boxingclothing