By Ian S Palmer
WBA Super World Lightweight Titleholder and WBO Lightweight champ Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine will be taking on fellow southpaw Luke Campbell of Hull, England this Saturday, August 31st. The 12-round bout from the 02 Arena in London is also for the vacant WBC Lightweight Crown and can be seen live in the USA on ESPN+. Fans in the UK can catch the action on Sky Box Office and those in Canada can see it on TSN 1. Lomachenko last fought in April when he stopped Anthony Crolla in the fourth round. Campbell was last in the ring in March when he stopped Adrian Yung in the fifth round.
The 31-year-old Lomachenko, known as ‘Hi Tech’, has also held the WBO Super Featherweight and Featherweight titles in his career. He now fights out of Oxnard, California and has a pro record of 13-1 with 10 Kos and is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world at the moment. Lomachenko’s lone loss came at the hands of Orlando Salido by controversial split decision in March, 2014 in his second pro fight.
He turned pro in 2013 after winning two Olympic gold medals for his homeland in 2008 and 2012. Lomachenko obviously enjoyed an excellent and extensive amateur career and then won the WBO Featherweight crown against Gary Russell Jr. via majority decision in June of 2014. He defended it against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, Gamalier Rodriguez, and Romulo Koasicha before moving up in weight.
He then beat Roman Martinez by fifth-round KO in June of 2016 for the Super Featherweight Title and defended it against Nicholas Walters, Jason Sosa, Miguel Marriaga and Guillermo Rigondeaux. He then beat Jorge Linares for the WBA Super World Lightweight Crown by 10th-round stoppage in May, 2018 and defended it while adding the WBO Lightweight Title by unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza last December.
Lomachenko possesses fantastic footwork, speed, and accuracy with good power and overall ring generalship, which often leaves his opponents totally frustrated. He’s got a good chin, but Linares did drop him in the sixth round. In general, Lomachenko tends to break his opponents down with solid combinations and body and head shots.
He stands 5-feet-7-inches tall and has a wingspan of 65.5 inches. He’s fought 119 rounds since turning pro with a current knockout ratio of 71 per cent. Lomachenko has become a more aggressive boxer with each passing fight in the pro ranks and his power is becoming a bit more more dominant. Even though he went the distance with Pedraza, he did drop him twice in the 11th round.
Campbell is also 31 years old and is best known for his excellent effort against former WBA Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares in 2017 when he lost a close split decision. That was his second loss as a pro as his first defeat and knockdown came at the hands of Mendy by way of a 12-round split decision in December, 2015 in a bout for Campbell’s WBC International Lightweight Title. Campbell will now climb into the ring with a record of 20-2 with 16 Kos to his name after avenging his loss to Mendy last September via a 12-round unanimous decision..
Campbell’s also a slick-boxing southpaw who stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 71-inch reach. He’s two inches taller than Lomachenko and has a 5.5-inch reach advantage. Although known for his boxing skills, he also has considerable power as his current knockout ratio is an impressive 73 per cent. He turned pro in 2013 and has 130 rounds under his belt. Campbell also enjoyed an excellent amateur career and won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England.
Campbell has more or less handled the pro game just as well as he did the amateurs with his only losses coming by way of split decision. Since turning pro he’s won the WBC International, WBC Silver, and British Commonwealth Lightweight Titles. His notable wins have been over the likes of Mendy, Gary Sykes, Darleys Perez, Tommy Coyle, Derry Mathews and former IBF Super Featherweight Champion Argenis Mendez. Campbell’s style and power make him a fan-friendly boxer but he’s still underrated by many.
Prediction…
Lomachenko and Campbell are both 31-year-old southpaws and Olympic gold medallists with fine boxing skills. Campbell has the edge in height, reach and a higher knockout percentage but he hasn’t really fought the same level of opposition. Campbell’s an underrated boxer and should be able to hold his own for several rounds but I think Lomachenko will eventually break him down like he does most of his foes. It may even go the distance but either way I’m expecting Lomachenko to have his hand held up at the end.
