Last night Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopes Jr. put everything on the line in a fight for the unified lightweight title.
Lopez was very aggressive to start the fight. The american was by far the more active fighter, even hurting Lomachenko with some big punches. But it seemed as though the Ukranian was being conservative on purpose. Lopez arguably won all of the first 5 rounds of the fight. But Lomachenko banqued in on his early investment. Midway through the fight, he upped the tempo and started attacking Lopez from his signature angles. It looked like Lomachenko had downloaded a lot of imformation of the american in the first few rounds and planned on beating him in a battle of attrition. This change of gear put both fighters in a very close fight entering the last two championship rounds. These rounds were very disputed and both fighters had their moments.
Althought Lomachenko rallied in the end, it wasn’t enough in the eyes of the judges to give him the nod. Lopez won by unanimous decision (116-112; 119-109; 117-111) and became the youngest unified champion in boxing history at 23 years old. He also became thz first unified champion in the history of the lightweight division.
This is only Lomachenko’s second loss in his career and he’s sure to bounce back. There are already talks of a rematch in 2021.
It’s time for the main event! 🥊#LomaLopez pic.twitter.com/snfFDcwOki
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) October 18, 2020
Lomachenko hasn’t found many openings but he found a home for the counter left in the second round. #LomaLopez pic.twitter.com/P97wFc2cdp
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) October 18, 2020
Teofimo with the two-piece combo to close the round 👊 #LomaLopez pic.twitter.com/5VYtbUFbyW
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 18, 2020
ALL ON THE LINE IN ROUND 12!!!
Think these guys want it? Man …#LomaLopez | LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XquHwYUpnB
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 18, 2020
That's how you close it, fellas … 👏
So, who took it??#LomaLopez | LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/KHKRz4NPN8
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 18, 2020
TAKEOVER COMPLETE!
23-year-old @TeofimoLopez beats Lomachenko and is now the undisputed lightweight champion. #LomaLopez pic.twitter.com/5XD0S1Vyyg
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) October 18, 2020
A SUPERSTAR IS BORN!!!
There is only ONE true king in the Lightweight division.@TeofimoLopez is here to stay. #LomaLopez pic.twitter.com/o77eePV0zA
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 18, 2020
