Very impressive that he's debuting against a guy who is 25-3 with 15 KOs! Unlike the american olympians who are overly protected and tend to fight 5-10 easy fights to pad their records with KO's. Errol Spence and Deontay Wilder are examples of this.
He puts his punches together like a pound for pound fighter. If he survives a chin check and a stamina test he is going to win multiple belts. He is that good.
| Vasyl Lomachenko KO4 Jose Luis Ramirez |
|---|
| Featherweight Records: Lomachenko (1-0, 1 KO); Ramirez (24-3-2, 15 KOs) |
| Rafael's remarks: Lomachenko, 25, of Ukraine, is one of the greatest amateurs in boxing history, a career that culminated with back-to-back Olympic gold medals, at featherweight in 2008 and lightweight in 2012. With so much experience and such physical and technical gifts, he and his handlers saw no reason to go the usual route that a prospect coming into the pros typically takes, namely smashing a few no-hopers in showcase four-rounders and then taking the traditional path through six-, eight-, 10- and then 12-rounders. Lomachenko felt no need for seasoning after about 400 amateur fights and a glittering resume. So when he came into the pros, he insisted that whomever he signed with move him very quickly, which Top Rank boss Bob Arum agreed to do. So rather than a facing a complete no-hoper out of the gate, Lomachenko went right into a scheduled 10-round fight against a seasoned veteran in Ramirez, 25, of Mexico, who was coming off an impressive split decision victory against contender Rey Bautista in Batista home country of the Philippines. Lomachenko would have preferred to fight for a world title in his debut, but was convinced that he could face a solid opponent first and then get a title shot. So Lomachenko dazzled against Ramirez, showing his speed and pinpoint punching accuracy. It was sensational performance as Lomachenko dropped Ramirez in the first round with a left hand to the body and a right hand to the head. Lomachenko dominated the fight the rest of the way until ending it in highlight-reel fashion in the fourth round when he jammed a hard left hook to Ramirez's body and dropped him to his knees as referee Russell Mora counted him out at 2 minutes, 59 seconds. If Lomachenko gets his way, and is still up for the task, Arum plans to match him with newly crowned featherweight titlist Orlando Salido (who won a vacant world title in the co-feature) as soon as January. Longer range, Arum wants to match Lomachenko with junior featherweight champ Guillermo Rigondeaux, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist. As great as Lomachenko was as an amateur, it remains to be seen if he is really ready for an assignment as tough as Salido probably would be. |
This is so true! He would probably have a 5 minute special on sportscenter. It would be sandwiched inbetween Adrian Petersons son's memorial piece and the "oh my god, the first black gymnast to win blah blah blah!" piece.
Salido is gritty and tough but Lomachenko is in another class skill and athletic ability wise. The only thing you have to worry about if you support Loma is if he gasses out because he isn't accustomed to the distance and pace. I think think this is less of problem than if he was a heavyweight as 126 pound fighters are ideally suited for aerobic activity. Ps many times prospects like Wlad are brought along slowly to build up their record for a world title fight. Beating up on weaker opponents than you fought in the amateurs doesn't prepare you for a tough champion. But as I noted heavyweights have to worry about stamina issues too.
