You can't spell Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs) without "KO" at the end of his surname. My incredibly witty wordplay aside, the two-time Olympic gold medalist is an incredibly gifted boxer, and at Madison Square Garden Theater on Saturday night, the Ukrainian demonstrated some vicious knockout power.
In the HBO Boxing main event against WBO super featherweight (130 lbs) champion Roman "Rocky" Martinez (29-3-3, 17 KOs), Lomachenko showed off his technical wizardry, lightning speed, and superb craft and accuracy. Just watch this right hand he landed in round 2.
Watch: @vasyllomachenko hits @Romancito77 with a hard right in round 2. #MartinezLomachenko https://t.co/MR5DXHyNJF
— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) June 12, 2016
Lomachenko captured the title with a left uppercut and a walloping right hook that flattened Martinez, who had less than a 0% chance of beating the count. Vasyl already has the WBO title at 126 lbs, so he's now a two-division champion with just seven pro fights, which has never been done before. Of course, Lomachenko has a preposterous 396-1 (not an exaggeration) amateur record, so combine his amateur credentials with his pro credentials and the 28-year-old has an incredible set of accolades to boast.
Ideally, Lomachenko will rematch Orlando Salido, the only man to defeat him in the pros. Salido (42-13-4-1 NC, 29 KOs) won via controversial split decision in 2014, but lost his featherweight belt when he failed to make weight, and also had numerous fouls go unpunished by referee Laurence Cole. All that said, Lomachenko didn't complain about the decision and regretted not engaging more with the Mexican. The 35-year-old Salido is coming off a thrilling majority draw against WBC 130 lbs champion Francisco Vargas (23-0-2, 17 KOs) in one of 2016's best fights.
Whatever happens with Lomachenko next, he's must-see TV, and this performance against a very good fighter further validates him as one of the top fighters in the world.
In the co-main event, Puerto Rican 135 lbs prospect Felix Verdejo improved to 22-0 with 15 KOs after easily dispatching Juan Jose Martinez (25-3, 15 KOs) on his way towards a 5th round mercy stoppage. Rough night to be named Martinez.
Watch: @DiamanteVerdejo wins by TKO in round 5. #VerdejoMartinez https://t.co/aKSYRVSawN
— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) June 12, 2016
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