Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Masayoshi Nakatani - June 26, 2021

[KiwiRider]

brant vs alim is good

Thanks Maggs, what about this Guido HW?

[oogiebe]

brant vs alim is good

Thanks Maggs, what about this Guido HW?

I know you asked Maggie, but Guido is ordinary at best.

[KiwiRider]

brant vs alim is good

Thanks Maggs, what about this Guido HW?

I know you asked Maggie, but Guido is ordinary at best.

Righto Oogs
I feel like a bloody casual, I've seen none of them before. Loma Vs the guy Tellymofo wiped the floor, walls and ceiling with doesn't interest me, will watch Brant vs Alim though.

[oogiebe]

Thanks Maggs, what about this Guido HW?

I know you asked Maggie, but Guido is ordinary at best.

Righto Oogs
I feel like a bloody casual, I've seen none of them before. Loma Vs the guy Tellymofo wiped the floor, walls and ceiling with doesn't interest me, will watch Brant vs Alim though.

When you guys talk about euro level guys I feel the same way for the most part.

[margaret thatcher]

teo did not wipe the floor with masa, he struggled with masa actually, cards were too wide

teo is better than loma anyway

guido will win in a knockover job fight

[gregregegg]

teo did not wipe the floor with masa, he struggled with masa actually, cards were too wide

teo is better than loma anyway

guido will win in a knockover job fight

Is teo better than healthy loma? im not convinced.

[lazboy]

I’m not convinced Lopez is better than Lomanchenko. I want to see a rematch ASAP.

[margaret thatcher]

loma's just one of those guys though, that he just cant seem to up his gears at times, happened in a number of fights before this, but the opponents werent as good as teo to exploit it fully

my guess is, it would be another fight where loma loses, while on the surface looking like he couldve won it if he'd pushed harder

[margaret thatcher]

im telling you, ppl are sleeping on masa here. he won as many rounds vs teo as loma did, he's the bigger man and got that warrior spirit . he's coming off a nice win, loma 's momentum aint so hot

[gregregegg]

loma's just one of those guys though, that he just cant seem to up his gears at times, happened in a number of fights before this, but the opponents werent as good as teo to exploit it fully

my guess is, it would be another fight where loma loses, while on the surface looking like he couldve won it if he'd pushed harder

I dont know how many more great loma fights, But i give him a pass one the teo fight, i have no idea what, but something was off there. Every now and then ya just off, dosent mean your sick or injured, sometimes your just shit, very unlucky if its when your fighting for belts. First 6 rounds he was throwing like 10 shots a round, teo is good, but i dont belive he is good enough to limmit loma to that kind of output.

Not to say teo couldent beat him, i just dont think that was teo outclassing loma, i think that was loma being terrible for the first 6 rounds.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lomachenko: Nakatani Is The Perfect Challenge For Me, I Wanted To Face A Top Contender

Vasiliy Lomachenko is ready to embark on the road to reclaim his status as among the sport’s very best fighters.

The former three-division titlist returns to the ring this Saturday in an intriguing showdown versus perennial Top ten lightweight contender Masayoshi Nakatani. Their scheduled twelve-round lightweight bout—which airs live on ESPN+ from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas—marks Lomachenko’s first since losing his WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” lightweight titles to Teofimo Lopez last October 17 at nearby MGM Grand Conference Center.

Most in his position would have sought a more favorable style matchup, if not a softer touch altogether. Such a route won’t get Lomachenko to where he plans to go sooner rather than later.

“What inspired me to take this fight is the fact that I just lost all of my titles,” Lomachenko told Boxing Scene. “I have to start from scratch and wanted to face a top contender.

“I didn’t want a (hand-picked) opponent. This guy gave Teofimo Lopez a very tough fight and I have prepared well for his challenge.”

Prior to his ESPN-televised defeat last fall, Ukraine’s Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) was widely regarded as among the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters, in fact topping several lists. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist racked up titles in a hurry in the pro ranks, coming up just short in a bid for the WBO featherweight belt in just his second pro fight before claiming the strap just three months later in a decision win over then-unbeaten Gary Russell Jr.

From there have come titles wins at junior lightweight and lightweight, the latter seeing the Ukrainian southpaw unseating reigning titlists Jorge Linares (WBA) and Jose Pedraza (WBO) to become a unified champ for the first time in his compact career. A win over Luke Campbell in August 2019 added the WBC strap, though he was unable to clean out the division as the 23-year-old Lopez proved to be too much. Lomachenko picked up steam in the second half of the fight but was already well down on the scorecards by that point and unable to close the gap.

This Saturday is designed to mark his first step back to the lightweight championship circle. A clash with Nakatani comes at the right time, as the 6’0” lightweight from Tokyo—nearly five inches taller than Lomachenko—enters on the heels of a ninth-round knockout of Felix Verdejo in their Fight of the Year-level slugfest last December. The bout saw Nakatani rally from two knockdowns and a scorecard deficit in order to prevail, coming nearly 17 months after his strong showing versus Lopez.

“He is strong, very tall and very long arms,” notes Lomachenko. “He has experience at the top level, as he showed in a (competitive) fight with Lopez and the way he was able to beat Verdejo. This is the perfect challenge for me. I’ve always aimed to face the highest level of competition.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lomachenko: Nakatani Is The Perfect Challenge For Me, I Wanted To Face A Top Contender

Vasiliy Lomachenko is ready to embark on the road to reclaim his status as among the sport’s very best fighters.

The former three-division titlist returns to the ring this Saturday in an intriguing showdown versus perennial Top ten lightweight contender Masayoshi Nakatani. Their scheduled twelve-round lightweight bout—which airs live on ESPN+ from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas—marks Lomachenko’s first since losing his WBA/WBO/WBC “Franchise” lightweight titles to Teofimo Lopez last October 17 at nearby MGM Grand Conference Center.

Most in his position would have sought a more favorable style matchup, if not a softer touch altogether. Such a route won’t get Lomachenko to where he plans to go sooner rather than later.

“What inspired me to take this fight is the fact that I just lost all of my titles,” Lomachenko told Boxing Scene. “I have to start from scratch and wanted to face a top contender.

“I didn’t want a (hand-picked) opponent. This guy gave Teofimo Lopez a very tough fight and I have prepared well for his challenge.”

Prior to his ESPN-televised defeat last fall, Ukraine’s Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) was widely regarded as among the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters, in fact topping several lists. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist racked up titles in a hurry in the pro ranks, coming up just short in a bid for the WBO featherweight belt in just his second pro fight before claiming the strap just three months later in a decision win over then-unbeaten Gary Russell Jr.

From there have come titles wins at junior lightweight and lightweight, the latter seeing the Ukrainian southpaw unseating reigning titlists Jorge Linares (WBA) and Jose Pedraza (WBO) to become a unified champ for the first time in his compact career. A win over Luke Campbell in August 2019 added the WBC strap, though he was unable to clean out the division as the 23-year-old Lopez proved to be too much. Lomachenko picked up steam in the second half of the fight but was already well down on the scorecards by that point and unable to close the gap.

This Saturday is designed to mark his first step back to the lightweight championship circle. A clash with Nakatani comes at the right time, as the 6’0” lightweight from Tokyo—nearly five inches taller than Lomachenko—enters on the heels of a ninth-round knockout of Felix Verdejo in their Fight of the Year-level slugfest last December. The bout saw Nakatani rally from two knockdowns and a scorecard deficit in order to prevail, coming nearly 17 months after his strong showing versus Lopez.

“He is strong, very tall and very long arms,” notes Lomachenko. “He has experience at the top level, as he showed in a (competitive) fight with Lopez and the way he was able to beat Verdejo. This is the perfect challenge for me. I’ve always aimed to face the highest level of competition.”

[handsofstone]

I like this fight a lot actually, always love Loma and Nakatani is relentless, dominated from Verdejo but just keeps coming, i cant see Lomachenko stopping him

[Dioufy]

Nakatani won 4/5 rounds against Teo for me so it’ll be interesting to see how he deals with Lomachenko’s southpaw style. It would be impressive if he could stop him as he looks very solid, if limited.
I can see at 115/113 style win for Loma.

[Ruthless-RKO]

BLH - Lomachenko vs Nakatani predictions

Scott Christ (38-11-2)

I love Masayoshi Nakatani as a fighter, I’ll always be happy to see him on my screen, but I think this is the level where he’s more nuisance than genuine threat. He’s tall and tough and can take a beating without going away, but is he really any true danger to Vasiliy Lomachenko? I think only if Loma has lingering shoulder issues, or they crop up again in this fight itself, and they’ll have to be pretty severe.

The Lomachenko that fought Lopez would have beaten Nakatani. It might not have been his most dominant performance, but he would have beaten Nakatani. At 33, I think Loma is pushing the back end of his prime years, especially fighting as a lightweight. But he’ll win here. I see him starting a bit slow to crack the code on the exact angles he’s going to take, but he’ll find them within three or four rounds, and then start to pick Nakatani apart. I could see this getting ugly and one-sided enough for a referee to step in if Nakatani’s got some battered eyes or the like. Lomachenko TKO-10

Wil Esco (40-9-2)

When this fight was first announced I’ll admit that I was a bit taken aback, because I truly believe this to be a very dangerous fight for Lomachenko to accept while just coming off his loss to Teofimo Lopez. Nakatani doesn’t have the technical acumen that’s really going to wow the fans with the aesthetics, but he’s also going to dwarf Lomachenko in the ring. If Lomachenko has learned anything from his loss to Lopez it’s that he really can’t just afford to coast in the early rounds and think he’s just going to turn it on later to win. That said, in a matchup like this it could be hard for Lomachenko to get off to a fast start.

What I really see happening is Nakatani taking a fair amount of early rounds before Lomachenko starts to apply more pressure and footwork to get his combination punches off. I think he’ll have mixed success with this approach but I just think, knowing how boxing can be, that it’ll be hard for Nakatani to win a decision over Lomachenko in Las Vegas. What I expect is a close fight that Lomachenko takes on the cards with a fair amount of debate on how fair the scoring was. Lomachenko UD-12

Patrick L. Stumberg (39-10-2)

A lot has been made of Masayoshi Nakatani’s freakish height and reach, but it’s worth remembering that he’s not all that good at using them; he throws his right hand like he’s trying to kill someone five feet behind his opponent, dragging his upright head into countering range in the process, and is overly willing to mix it up inside against shorter fighters. A technician of Lomachenko’s caliber is more than capable of exploiting the myriad defensive holes he leaves behind, so as long as “Hi-Tech” is actually willing and able to throw punches this time, Nakatani’s in for a bruising. He’s a tricky puzzle, but not a particularly deep one.

That said, Nakatani’s tenacity is admirable, and he’s going to do everything in his power to give Lomachenko hell as long as he remains standing. He’s just too vulnerable to disciplined punchers for me to pick him against one of the most skillful fighters of the modern era. Lomachenko batters him as soon as he gets into gear, potentially stopping him late. Lomachenko UD-12

And the staff winner is...

Vasiliy Lomachenko (3-0)!

[Ruthless-RKO]

BLH - Lomachenko vs Nakatani predictions

Scott Christ (38-11-2)

I love Masayoshi Nakatani as a fighter, I’ll always be happy to see him on my screen, but I think this is the level where he’s more nuisance than genuine threat. He’s tall and tough and can take a beating without going away, but is he really any true danger to Vasiliy Lomachenko? I think only if Loma has lingering shoulder issues, or they crop up again in this fight itself, and they’ll have to be pretty severe.

The Lomachenko that fought Lopez would have beaten Nakatani. It might not have been his most dominant performance, but he would have beaten Nakatani. At 33, I think Loma is pushing the back end of his prime years, especially fighting as a lightweight. But he’ll win here. I see him starting a bit slow to crack the code on the exact angles he’s going to take, but he’ll find them within three or four rounds, and then start to pick Nakatani apart. I could see this getting ugly and one-sided enough for a referee to step in if Nakatani’s got some battered eyes or the like. Lomachenko TKO-10

Wil Esco (40-9-2)

When this fight was first announced I’ll admit that I was a bit taken aback, because I truly believe this to be a very dangerous fight for Lomachenko to accept while just coming off his loss to Teofimo Lopez. Nakatani doesn’t have the technical acumen that’s really going to wow the fans with the aesthetics, but he’s also going to dwarf Lomachenko in the ring. If Lomachenko has learned anything from his loss to Lopez it’s that he really can’t just afford to coast in the early rounds and think he’s just going to turn it on later to win. That said, in a matchup like this it could be hard for Lomachenko to get off to a fast start.

What I really see happening is Nakatani taking a fair amount of early rounds before Lomachenko starts to apply more pressure and footwork to get his combination punches off. I think he’ll have mixed success with this approach but I just think, knowing how boxing can be, that it’ll be hard for Nakatani to win a decision over Lomachenko in Las Vegas. What I expect is a close fight that Lomachenko takes on the cards with a fair amount of debate on how fair the scoring was. Lomachenko UD-12

Patrick L. Stumberg (39-10-2)

A lot has been made of Masayoshi Nakatani’s freakish height and reach, but it’s worth remembering that he’s not all that good at using them; he throws his right hand like he’s trying to kill someone five feet behind his opponent, dragging his upright head into countering range in the process, and is overly willing to mix it up inside against shorter fighters. A technician of Lomachenko’s caliber is more than capable of exploiting the myriad defensive holes he leaves behind, so as long as “Hi-Tech” is actually willing and able to throw punches this time, Nakatani’s in for a bruising. He’s a tricky puzzle, but not a particularly deep one.

That said, Nakatani’s tenacity is admirable, and he’s going to do everything in his power to give Lomachenko hell as long as he remains standing. He’s just too vulnerable to disciplined punchers for me to pick him against one of the most skillful fighters of the modern era. Lomachenko batters him as soon as he gets into gear, potentially stopping him late. Lomachenko UD-12

And the staff winner is...

Vasiliy Lomachenko (3-0)!

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lomachenko: What I Learned Most From Lopez Fight Is I Can't Get That Time Back

Vasiliy Lomachenko had plenty to say in the aftermath of his lightweight championship defeat to Teofimo Lopez.

The most important lesson he took away from the fight is that there isn’t else he can say that will change the outcome.

“What I learned the most from that fight is that I can’t get that time back,” Lomachenko told Boxing Scene. “I have watched the fight. I’ve reviewed what I could have done to win the fight. It happened. All I can do is move forward and position myself to regain my titles.”

Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) conceded his WBA/WBO lightweight titles along with designation as WBC “Franchise” champion to Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs), who defended his IBF title while claiming the rest of the hardware in their unification bout last October 17 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. The bout saw Ukraine’s Lomachenko suffer his first defeat since a split-decision loss to an overweight Orlando Salido in their March 2014 WBO featherweight title fight.

The first step towards reclaiming his place atop the lightweight division takes place this weekend. Lomachenko—a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and former three-division titlist—faces Japan’s Masayoshi Nakatani (19-1-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday, live on ESPN+ from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The bout is his second straight in town and sixth overall dating back to his October 2013 pro debut at Thomas & Mack Center.

The fight with Lopez came during the pandemic and at a time when fans were not permitted to attend events in Nevada. Such restrictions are since lifted, with a full house expected on hand this weekend to see if Lomachenko return to his winning ways.

“My goal is to be as active as possible but more importantly against the highest level of competition,” notes Lomachenko. “It doesn’t matter where the fight takes place. What matters is that I’m fighting, the fans are back and I plan to win back my titles.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lomachenko: What I Learned Most From Lopez Fight Is I Can't Get That Time Back

Vasiliy Lomachenko had plenty to say in the aftermath of his lightweight championship defeat to Teofimo Lopez.

The most important lesson he took away from the fight is that there isn’t else he can say that will change the outcome.

“What I learned the most from that fight is that I can’t get that time back,” Lomachenko told Boxing Scene. “I have watched the fight. I’ve reviewed what I could have done to win the fight. It happened. All I can do is move forward and position myself to regain my titles.”

Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) conceded his WBA/WBO lightweight titles along with designation as WBC “Franchise” champion to Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs), who defended his IBF title while claiming the rest of the hardware in their unification bout last October 17 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. The bout saw Ukraine’s Lomachenko suffer his first defeat since a split-decision loss to an overweight Orlando Salido in their March 2014 WBO featherweight title fight.

The first step towards reclaiming his place atop the lightweight division takes place this weekend. Lomachenko—a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and former three-division titlist—faces Japan’s Masayoshi Nakatani (19-1-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday, live on ESPN+ from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The bout is his second straight in town and sixth overall dating back to his October 2013 pro debut at Thomas & Mack Center.

The fight with Lopez came during the pandemic and at a time when fans were not permitted to attend events in Nevada. Such restrictions are since lifted, with a full house expected on hand this weekend to see if Lomachenko return to his winning ways.

“My goal is to be as active as possible but more importantly against the highest level of competition,” notes Lomachenko. “It doesn’t matter where the fight takes place. What matters is that I’m fighting, the fans are back and I plan to win back my titles.”

[ironbeard]

loma's just one of those guys though, that he just cant seem to up his gears at times, happened in a number of fights before this, but the opponents werent as good as teo to exploit it fully

my guess is, it would be another fight where loma loses, while on the surface looking like he couldve won it if he'd pushed harder

I dont know how many more great loma fights, But i give him a pass one the teo fight, i have no idea what, but something was off there. Every now and then ya just off, dosent mean your sick or injured, sometimes your just shit, very unlucky if its when your fighting for belts. First 6 rounds he was throwing like 10 shots a round, teo is good, but i dont belive he is good enough to limmit loma to that kind of output.

Not to say teo couldent beat him, i just dont think that was teo outclassing loma, i think that was loma being terrible for the first 6 rounds.

What happened was Lomassiah was overly apprehensive of Teo’s early power, he miscalculated Teo’s strategy, and he failed to adjust. He figured that Teo would tire and that he could overwhelm him, but Lopez was conservative enough early to win the rounds and not spend himself.

Lomassiah got out strategized, boxed, and fought. If he comes out blazing early next time Teo quite possibly will stop him.

[margaret thatcher]

who's that little kid with the poorly fitting shirt next to masa?

[lazboy]

Typical skill v will fight. I don’t think Loma is silly enough to burn out so I see him coasting to a victory.

[gregregegg]

fornicating hell who dressed loma.

[Thomastearns]

In purely technical skill Vasyl Lomachenko remains so far ahead of everyone else that it's difficult to suggest who might be in second place.

Roman Gonzalez?

Manny Pacquiao?

The one foe they can't defeat is father time, but they're putting up a good fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Referee
Celestino Ruiz

Judges
Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey)
Patricia Morse Jarman (Nevada)
Dave ‘Not Carl’ Moretti (Nevada)