By Ian S Palmer
Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine will be defending his WBO Featherweight Championship against Romulo Koasicha of Mexico this Saturday, November 7th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, California. This isn’t exactly the type of opponent fans would like to see Lomachenko face at this stage of his career since he’s already taken on Gary Russell Jr. and Orlando Salido, but it’s better than not seeing him fight at all. The 12-round contest can be seen in Canada and America live on HBO while fans in the UK can catch the action on BoxNation.
The 27-year-old Lomachenko is just 4-1 with 2 Kos in his pro career while the 24-year-old Koasicha is 25-4 with 15 Kos under his belt. Lomachenko, a southpaw, has fought just five times since turning pro in 2013, but is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who had an excellent and extensive amateur career. He’s already considered by most experts to be one of the top pound-for-pound boxers on the globe. Lomachenko’s lone loss was to Salido in March of 2014 when he dropped a controversial split decision. He then won the WBO crown against Russell via a majority decision in June of last year.
The champion possesses fantastic footwork, speed, and accuracy, but may be lacking slightly when it comes to power. However, he breaks his opponents down with solid combination and body and head shots. This is the first title shot for Koasicha and many fans may never have heard of him, probably because he’s fought just once outside of his native Mexico and is making his U.S. debut. His four losses have come at the hands of Britain’s Lee Selby by unanimous decision in May of 2014, Jesus Galilcia by majority decision in April, 2013, Isaac Torres by unanimous decision in 2012 and a split decision to Luis Manuel Cabrera I 2010.
Lomachenko’s last bout was a ninth-round stoppage over Gamalier Rodriguez in May while Koasicha last entered the ring in July and beat Guillermo Avila via a seventh-round stoppage. Koasicha is a tough customer with a fine body attack and decent power. He also has pretty good boxing skills and the champion can’t take afford to take him too lightly even though he is the overwhelming favourite. This of course is a huge step up in class for the challenger and he better be well prepared for what lies ahead of him this Saturday.
Koasicha’s height and reach are unlisted by BoxRec, while Lomachenko stands 5-feet-6-inches tall and has a wingspan of 65 inches. The champion has fought 49 rounds since turning pro and Koasicha has fought 169 rounds since turning pro in 2008. Lomachenko’s knockout ratio currently stands at 52 per cent and Lomachenko’s is 42 per cent. This is a huge fight for both boxers since the champion needs to prove each time out that he’s worthy of the accolades heaped upon him. As for the challenger, he can win a world title with a victory and even with a loss can still make a name for himself with a good performance.
Prediction
Koasicha has a good chin and it’ll be tested by Lomachenko as he moves up in class. The challenger has a good body attack and will have to utilize it to slow Lomachenko down. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to match the champion’s other skills though and fans should expect to see Lomachenko to retain his title by a unanimous decision or late stoppage.
