“You know, my father told me from childhood, ‘If you are strong, show your weakness, but if you are weak, show your strength.’ In this situation, purposefully and personally, it is clear that they are trying to show their strength.
“Powerful people never shout about it, they never try to insult anyone. That person will do it quietly and will prove it by his actions and not by his words. ”
The two had once signed to fight, long before Vasily Lomachenko spoke about Tufimo Lopez back in April 2019. The Lomachenko-Lopez gossip was still going on. Lopez, a young, hot shot power puncher, did not even win his first world title. But he was calling Lomachenko. The two already had a real dislike.
Lomachenko, for whom English is a second language, is not very clear in interviews in that language, and even what he says is often not as concise or clear as he might like. But in his mother tongue he was very clear about Lopez.
“I will hold him accountable for every fight that is called for.”
Eight months later, Lopez claimed the IBF title with a hard-fought and experienced veteran Richard Comey’s second-round pick. And now, 10 months later, the battle continues. On Saturday, October 17 (ESPN, 10pm ET), Lomachenko and Lopez meet on the line with three world titles.
Loma-Lopez was meant to be in the spring, although it was not officially signed by the COVID-19 epidemic before mid-March to mid-June. And there were issues in the conversation, but now none of that matters. The bottom line is that there is fighting. This is the kind of matching we always want to see in boxing.
From a fan’s point of view, this is probably the most anticipated battle of 2020. It may not have the general appeal of a fight like Wilder-February 2 in February, but it won’t be on pay-as-you-go. See, which would mean easy exposure, and the fight is heavily encouraged by ESPN. It’s a big fight, and it has some critical / mainstream appeal.
It’s just an easy sale as an attraction. The world’s top light heavyweight, a fighter magician, both criminal and defensive, is 32 years old and still in his presidency, but may soon be over. He is also the number one consensus in the world pound-for-pound, and has won two Olympic gold medals as one of the best amateur fighters. And in front of him is a 23 year old powerhouse, with speed and skill and a great personality.
See how Lomachenko vs. Lopez
Date: Saturday, October 17 | Start time: 10:00 pm ET (main card) / 7:30 pm ET (prelims)
Location: MGM Top Rank Bubble, Las Vegas, N.V.
TV: ESPN (main card) | Stream: ESPN + (Originally)
When Lomachenko received support in October 2013, he did so with a lot of hype and echo, and he didn’t come to fight any friction, either. Jose Luis Ramirez was not a star, but he had a 25-25 Pro record and was coming out of a great win against Ray Bautista.
Lomachenko defeated him in four, and claimed a modest WBO featherweight belt, meaning a high WBO ranking, meaning the Ukrainian could go for his real goal: a world title in his second-round battle. . He got the chance, in March 2014 to face the veteran Orlando Solido. Salido lost a lot of weight (too much), but the fight continued.
Salido gave Lomachenko some important lessons in that battle. As great a genius as Lomachenko was and is, the pro game is not an amateur game, and Caledo (41-12-2 at the time, and better than the record) was able to fatten Loma and make some impressive “dirty”. Work. Lomachenko got into a fight and made some changes, but still he gave up the decision of neutral foot.
That changed Loma a little, though, and for the better as a fighter. He went out three months later and fought Gary Russell Jr. for the now vacant ballot, which Salido lost on the scale, and defeated a fierce fighter by decision. Since then, almost every battle has been Lomachenko. He was dominating the boys so badly at 126 that he had to give up 130 to find a good fight. He did the same at this weight, and in 2018 the step reached 135.
Jorge Linares gave Lomachenko a tough test and also fell in May 2018 when Loma went light weight, but in the end Lomachenko was great again, Jose Pedraza had a few moments stopping Venezuela in the 10th, but Lomachenko was too much for him. Was more. , Too, and he won two 2019s over Anthony Corolla and Luke Campbell. She’s an over-matching fan favorite in Crowley, and out of the box on Campbell Street in London.
In terms of skills, no one is at the level of Lomachenko in boxing, and I don’t think anyone is at the lightweight level, including Teofimo Lopez.
But it’s not always about skills, either. Teofimo Lopez has some advantages over paper.
Photo by Al Bello / Getty Images
As mentioned, Lopez is nine-year-old Lomachenko’s junior – young, but not so young that he’s too green, or at least his team hopes. Here is a comparison of the battle of 2013 where Floyd Mayweather competed with Canello Alvarez, and while Lopez explicitly rejects it, it is not unreasonable to put the front in front.
Mayweather was 36 when he fought 23-year-old Canello. Floyd remained unbeaten at 44-0, but he was fighting an efficient, strong young man who was also a little naturally bigger in body. Alvarez was more suited to the 154-pound division (actually a 152-pound catch weight) than Mayweather, but it was a big fight to make, and they let it happen.
Despite the fight, the majority decision came back for Mayweather, it was a clear victory for Flood. Alvarez had a few moments, but most of them felt like Mayweather was giving a little slap in the face to find out. Alvarez and his team made a strange decision to try Mayweather and give him an outside bet, which obviously didn’t work, and never worked. Canello was a good boxer and got better after losing to Floyd, but Mayweather was a master.
If Lopez tried to think or try to get Lomachenko out, that’s probably a bad idea. Needless to say, he can’t try to set things up, give him bait, try boxing with him sometimes, but it can’t be Plan A, and if it’s for some reason Because, maybe a really good, really good plan b. And maybe C and D.V.
Lopez, like Canelo, has no crude arguments or anything. He has the ability to box, he has the speed of the hand, he shows his punches well, he sets things up very well. But he’s not just giving Lomachenko an out-of-the-box.
What they can try is the box With Enough to establish Lomachenko’s expected big gain: pure, raw power. If he could get Lomachenko involved in the business, he could find a home for something huge. Lomachenko is not a natural light weight. He’s legally small at 135 pounds, and it’s fair to question if he can take consistent strength shots from Lopez, who is a serious enzyme for this weight.
Lopez, now the No. 2 man at 135, wants the crown. He wants to be the top guy, he wants to be the superstar, he wants to be the guy to give the throne to the king. Personally, I have an understanding that Lopez’s ego – something healthy for at least one degree for any fighter or any side athlete – for example, admitting around the eighth or ninth round that he can ‘. T beats this guy, if things are going badly, and call the rest of the fight. If he understands that things are necessary, I would expect Lopez to keep it all in line.
It’s boxing-watching, sports-watching, TV-watching. A match like this, no matter how it turns out, is what makes boxing so high again, if only for a week, a series of “big” games that are better than any other. Performs when it all comes together. Now every time and again.
