PERTH, Western Australia — After losing his unified crown nearly four years ago, Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko is once again a world champion.
Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) captured the vacant IBF lightweight world title by defeating hometown hero “Ferocious”George Kambosos Jr. (21-3, 10 KOs) via 11th-round TKO on Sunday afternoon at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
Though the 36-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist hadn’t fought since last May’s undisputed title bid, it took just three rounds for him to figure out Kambosos. After absorbing an early body attack, the Ukrainian legend began peppering Kambosos with his signature short punches in round four, seemingly looking to end things early.
The onslaught continued into the fifth as Kambosos’ face began to reflect Lomachenko’s nearly 50 percent connect advantage. In round eight, Kambosos suffered a cut above his right eye as Lomachenko continued to tag him.
In the 11th, Lomachenko landed a left that dropped Kambosos, who rose off the deck only to be dropped again with another left, but this time to the body.
Lomachenko said, “It looked like a knockout today, not ‘No-Mas-Chenko.’ But, you know, we trained hard for this moment. I want to thank my opponent. He is a strong man and a true warrior.
“My plan was to adjust to my opponent. This is what I did during the fight. I knew I needed to finish strong. And in the last three rounds, I was trying to find his body.
I never ran around during my boxing career. I always take fights. Right now, I want to come back to my home, spend time with my family, and after I rest a little bit, we can talk about my future.”
Kambosos said, “He’s a true champion. He’s a legend of the sport. I give him the utmost respect. We knew what we are coming up against, and I tried my best. But it wasn’t enough today.
He’s one of the best fighters in history. So, I’m not ashamed. I wanted to finish the fight on my feet. I wanted to finish the rounds like I always do. But there’s no shame in losing to a man like Lomachenko.”
Guevara Upsets Moloney on Aussie Soil
Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) promised to give Mexico a new champion today, and he delivered in hostile territory.
Guevara won a disputed split decision verdict over Andrew Moloney (26-4, 16 KOs) to claim the WBC interim junior bantamweight world title.
Moloney boxed from the outside, stepping in and out to land punches on a rangier Guevara. The 34-year-old Mexican responded with counters, especially the left hook to the body.
In the third round, Moloney gained momentum with close-range combos, which set the tone for the middle rounds. And by the eighth, the Australian former world champion landed hard as Guevara tried to change the tide of the fight.
As they entered the championship rounds, Guevara’s body shots began to make a difference as Moloney became more cautious with his offense.
Two judges scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Guevara, overriding a 116-113 card for Moloney.
“I really want to come back here. It’s amazing here,” Guevara said. “I’d have no problem giving him a rematch.”
Moloney said, “I felt in total control. I did what I had to do in there tonight to get the win. I don’t want to make excuses, but I went into this fight with a torn biceps, so I couldn’t throw the left hook unless I needed to. I didn’t feel like I needed to throw it because I was in total control. “
In other results:
Bantamweight: Cherneka Johnson (16-2, 6 KOs) MD 10 Nina Hughes (6-1, 2 KOs). Scores: 95-95, 96-94 and 98-92. Johnson captures the WBA bantamweight world title.
Light Heavyweight: Imam Khataev (7-0, 7 KOs)TKO 6 Ricards Bolotniks (20-8-1, 8 KOs). Time of stoppage: 1:34.
