Vasiliy Lomachenko is a world champion again after beating George Kambosos Jr.
Vasiliy Lomachenko dropped George Kambosos Jr twice in the 11th round before the towel came in from the Kambosos corner, scoring a TKO victory and winning the vacant IBF lightweight title.
Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KO) was in control for the vast majority of the fight, with Kambosos (21-3, 10 KO) hanging on mainly on grit and determination, as he found the Lomachenko puzzle too difficult to solve even in the early rounds.
A body shot put Kambosos down the first time, and then Lomachenko swarmed, throwing hard shots at the body and putting Kambosos down again, at which point the towel came in from nearby, with the action taking place in the Kambosos corner.
The 36-year-old Lomachenko will have plentiful options going forward, including WBC titleholder Shakur Stevenson and, potentially, the winner of next week’s Emanuel Navarrete vs Denys Berinchyk fight for the vacant WBO belt. Stevenson, who returns on July 6, is with Top Rank still, as is Navarrete.
WBA titleholder Gervonta “Tank” Davis said on social media during the fight that he’d like to fight Lomachenko after facing Frank Martin on June 15, but that will be seen as the least likely of the unification options, though it’s the biggest fight by some distance.
Kambosos, 30, has now lost three of four, and even the fight that he won last year against Maxi Hughes was highly controversial.
GRAB YOUR POPCORN, PERTH. #LomaKambosos | LIVE ON @ESPN pic.twitter.com/IF19n2tmmG
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 12, 2024
Beware when Loma downloads the info... pic.twitter.com/KDDAjIEnil
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 12, 2024
VINTAGE @VasylLomachenko. #LomaKambosos | LIVE ON @ESPN pic.twitter.com/t2vDXgbhHI
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 12, 2024
LOMA IS A WORLD CHAMP AGAIN.
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 12, 2024
LOMA IS A WORLD CHAMP AGAIN.
LOMA IS A WORLD CHAMP AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/IZDYaV7bhV