Lomachenko on Lopez- “He Holds my belt”
Unified lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko is riding out the COVID-19 pandemic in his native Ukraine. Still, the three-weight kingpin is chomping at the bit to get his hands on the division’s leading names, including IBF world champion Teofimo Lopez.
Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) has not fought since last August’s unanimous decision victory over Luke Campbell in London. He has sat back and taken notice of Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs), the Brooklyn-born prodigy who has been outspoken in his desire to fight the pound-for-pound champ.
In an interview with Crystina Poncher for Top Rank, Lomachenko spoke Monday about his current situation during the pandemic in his native Ukraine and how he is staying active during these times.
“I have a gym {at my house}, and of course I’m still training because it’s my job. Nobody knows when we can start. I always have to be in shape. I have to be ready always,” Lomachenko said to Pincher about training during the pandemic.
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It would be interesting how that looks like as anyone who has seen Lomachenko prepare before fights know it’s something out of the ordinary. Much like his beach volleyball sessions before facing Luke Campbell back in August. Speaking, however, on eventual opponent Teofimo Lopez, he stated that it’s a fight he was looking forward to before being canceled in May due to the pandemic.
“Of course, I was disappointed a little bit, but everything that’s happening {with self-quarantines} is happening for the better. The most important thing is for all the people on this planet to get back and get healthy, and everything will go back to normal,” Lomachenko said.
Why Lopez? Simple. He wants the IBF title that Lopez won back in December
“I really think he’s a good boxer. He’s a top fighter. He’s young, he’s hungry, he has big power, and I want this fight. He’s a world champion, and he holds my belt. It’s IBF title,” Lomachenko stated.
When it is settled, however, Lomachenko doesn’t know how it will play out but is very intrigued in the matchup.
“Nobody knows. It’s very unpredictable. Nobody can predict what is going to happen, how it’s going to happen. And the people are talking about which round they are going to knock somebody out or stop somebody. I am getting very, very interested. Now, I want to see {the fight},” Lomachenko mentioned.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
