WBO/WBA/WBC Franchise world champion and the pound-for-pound “Boxing Baryshnikov” from Ukraine – Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko will fight unbeaten IBF world champion Teofimo Lopez [the knockout artist from Brooklyn] who has lobbed verbal haymakers at Lomachenko for more than two years.
There’ll be four belts at stake as the two boxing specialists go toe-to-toe on Saturday, October 17, live on ESPN from MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Speaking to the press ahead of the fight, chairman of Top Rank Promotions – Bob Arum explained that this fight has all the attributes of a modern boxing classic.
“Lomachenko-Lopez is the best fight that can be made in boxing, and we are delighted that it will be available to fans for no extra charge live on ESPN,” said Arum.
“Teofimo and Vasiliy demanded the fight, and we are glad we could make it happen.
“Vasiliy has never backed down from a challenge since he turned pro under the Top Rank banner, and Teofimo is a fearless young champion daring to be great. This has all the makings of a modern boxing classic.”
According to Vasiliy Lomachenko he will make sure Teofimo Lopez eats his punches on fight night despite the hard talks from the man who stopped Richard Commey last December within just two rounds to win the IBF title in the glaring eyes of Loma:
“Teofimo Lopez can talk all he wants. He’s very good at talking. He has done nothing but say my name for the past two years. I am a fighter, and my goal is to win another world title. Good for Teofimo. When we fight in Las Vegas, he will eat my punches and his words. I will be the better man, and four world titles will come home with me to Ukraine.”
“Nobody has seen Lomachenko at 100 percent inside the ring. If Teofimo can push Loma to at least 80 percent, it means Teofimo is the best opponent Loma has faced,” Egis Klimas, Lomachenko’s manager added.
Meanwhile, the skillful knockout artist from Brooklyn still holds the view that he’s got all the necessary munitions to beat up Lomachenko:
“I will beat up Lomachenko and take his belts. Simple as that. I’m coming to Las Vegas to make history. I don’t like the guy, and I’m going to have fun as Lomachenko’s face is beaten and marked up by my hands.
“The Takeover is here, and the reign of Lomachenko, the little diva, is coming to an end.”
Lomachenko [14-1, 10 KOs] enters this bout coming off a scintillating decision win over British star Luke Campbell last August in front of a sold-out O2 Arena in London. A two-time Olympic gold medalist who went 396-1 in the amateur ranks, Lomachenko tied a boxing record by winning a world title in his third pro fight. He is a former featherweight and junior lightweight world champion who won the lightweight crown in May 2018 with a body shot knockout over Jorge Linares. In seven years as a pro, Lomachenko is 13-1 with 9 knockouts in world title fights and is ranked by many pundits as this generation’s most accomplished pugilist. From 2016-2017, he made four consecutive fighters quit on their stools, earning him the “No-Mas-chenko” moniker.
Lopez [15-0, 12 KOs], the brash Brooklynite who initially gained attention because of his post-fight “Fortnite” dances and backflip celebrations, soon emerged as boxing’s most charismatic young superstar following his 2016 pro debut. He was the consensus 2018 Prospect of the Year, a campaign punctuated by a one-punch, first-round knockout over Mason Menard on the Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza undercard. Following the Menard knockout, he donned the jersey of Kyler Murray, who’d won the Heisman Trophy earlier that evening. Lopez climbed the rankings in 2019 with wins over Diego Magdaleno, Edis Tatli and Masayoshi Nakatani.
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