By Minnie Larry
On May 12, 2018, Vasily Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KOs) cemented his name in history with a 10 round knockout of Jorge Linares (44-4 27 KOs) to become the WBA Lightweight Champion in front of a lively Madison Square Garden crowd.
In Round 1, Linares established himself as the bigger fighter by leveling body shots to the quicker Lomachenko. Lomachenko returned the favor by peppering Linares with a strong jab and straight left.
Lomachenko would circle Linares to the right allowing Lomachenko to pepper Linares’ face with quick straight lefts. Lomachenko would stick to his plan landing shots to Linares’ head and body at will. Linares would become frustrated and land several shots to the back of Lomachenko’s head as well as below the belt.
In the middle rounds, Linares found his rhythm. He was able to time Lomachenko with a stiff jab followed by a straight right. In the 6th round, Linares caught Lomachenko with a straight right which sent the pound for pound king to the canvas. The fight was a back and forth affair with both fighters vying to establish dominance.
This changed in Round 9, when Linares landed a stiff combination which backed up Lomachenko. Lomachenko decided once again to circle Linares to the right, while peppering Linares with hooks to the body.
In the 10th, Lomachenko circled to Linares’ right and landed a beautiful hook to his body. Linares would be unable to answer the ten count, at the 2:08 mark. Interestingly, the scores at the time the fight was called were 86-84 Lomachenko, 86-84 Linares, and 85-85. Expect to see Lomachenko take on the winner of Pacquiao vs. Matthysse.
He would overcome Adames’ weak shots to land thunderous body shots to his opponent. Barrera would corner Adames in the ropes, but was not quick enough to land anything of consequence. Adames would make it to the end of the fight. The judges saw the fight for Adames 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94.
