This is Rummy's Corner.
I don't know shit about boxing.
Last Saturday night at the MGM Grand in a bout that was televised on ESPN - unified
WBO/WBA lightweight champion Vasily Lomachenko squared off against undefeated IBF champion
Teofimo Lopez in a unification bout.
This was the first high profile championship boxing match since the entire world was changed
by unprecedented lockdowns resulting from COVID-19.
Going into the contest, Lomachenko was widely viewed as one of the very best pound for pound
boxers in the world, with many viewing him as the best of the best.
The expectation was that Lomachenko's skills and experience would win the day against the
young hungry powerhouse.
But Lopez had other plans.
Lopez seized command of the action early on, and Lomachenko was having a lot of difficulty
adjusting to the stellar tactics of the younger champion.
Lopez was utilizing an effective stiff jab to control the range, and he was also consistently
investing downstairs where he was ruthlessly pounding away to the body of Lomachenko.
This trend persisted throughout the first half of the contest.
Lomachenko was fighting very defensively, and his defensive efforts were largely effective.
But Lopez remained poised, patient, and smart.
Lomachenko was exhibiting a great reluctance to engage, in large part because of the blend
of speed and power Lopez displayed early and often.
Lomachenko seemed unwilling to punch unless he was perfectly positioned.
But Lopez's understanding of range and distance, combined with his underrated skills as well
as his elite athleticism enabled him to prevent Lomachenko from establishing the type of angles
and rhythm we're accustomed to seeing from him.
In that sense, Lomachenko's offensive efforts throughout the first half of the fight reminded
me an awful lot of the way Wladimir Klitschko was reluctant to exchange with a quick and
nimble Tyson Fury.
Or the way Bernard Hopkins was biding his time in his unification bout with the immensefully
powerful Sergey Kovalev.
Or to a lesser extent, the way Sugar Shane Mosley struggled to create angles and throw
punches after Floyd Mayweather Jr expertly adjusted to the tactics that brought Shane
early success.
Lomachenko was trying to survive and stick around, waiting for Lopez to tire or make
a mistake, and it simply never happened.
Lopez was very disciplined with his efforts, and he wasn't making the type of mistakes
that would allow for Lomachenko to exploit them and capitalize.
Before you knew it, things were more than halfway over, and it was arguably a shutout
for Lopez up until that point.
After finally accepting the fact that his ongoing strategy was doomed for failure, Lomachenko
exhibited the true heart of a champion as he began changing things up in an effort to
mount an effective offense.
His efforts paid dividends.
Lomachenko was beginning to score in ways that we are more accustomed to seeing from
him.
He was letting his hands go, even when he wasn't perfectly positioned.
This enabled Lomachenko to disrupt the rhythm of Lopez, and it also allowed Lomachenko to
establish some momentum of his own.
But by that point it was already too late.
Lopez sealed it when he reasserted himself and came on strong to win the 12th and final
round big.
At the end of the night, Lopez was awarded a unanimous decision victory with scores of
116-112, 119-109, and 117-111.
Teofimo Lopez had just become the new unified IBF/WBO/WBA lightweight world champion.
Personally I had 116-112 for Lopez.
I thought Lopez won the first 7 rounds, I had Lomachenko winning the next 4, and I thought
Lopez won the 12th in style where he solidified his superiority in this fight.
So I definitely believe the 119-109 score was a little wide, but the other two scores
were right in line with what I believe is an accurate reflection of what happened.
I thought it was a terrific fight!
In some ways, it reminded me a little bit of Lomachenko's victory against Rigondeaux,
in the sense that despite a great abundance of skills and incredible ring smarts, in both
situations the smaller and arguably more skilled boxer simply couldn't overcome the size difference.
Of course, neither victory was based on size alone.
Lomachenko was an elite level operator himself when he defeated Rigondeaux.
And many of us may not have fully realized it beforehand, but Lopez has firmly established
himself as an elite level operator in his own right.
But the biggest problem for Lomachenko was Lopez's blend of skills, speed, power, and
smarts.
Lopez was usually in an optimal position, where his understanding of range and distance
enabled him to prevent Lomachenko from ever discovering his comfort zone.
Even when Lomachenko was coming on strong late in the fight, he was still fighting outside
of his comfort zone - he was forced to fight a fight that isn't his fight and Lopez forced
Lomachenko to use his legs in a way that was unusual for him.
That combined with his vicious body assault seemed to have Lomachenko winded at times.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Lopez was the fact that when Lomachenko was coming
on strong late, Lopez never lost focus and was never deterred when Lomachenko seized
momentum over most of the later rounds.
Lopez maintained his composure, and in the 12th and final round, he had reshifted the
tide back in his favor.
By that point, Lomachenko needed at least a few knockdowns in any case, but the way
that Lopez closed the show?
Make no mistake, that was impressive stuff!
That impressive showing in the final round might give Lopez more confidence whenever
things aren't going his way down the road.
Personally I would love to see a rematch between Lopez and Lomachenko.
Lopez and Lomachenko are both extremely intelligent, and I believe they can each potentially learn
and improve upon their efforts from last weekend.
I'm not sure if Lomachenko can actually beat Lopez after what we saw last weekend, but
I wouldn't be quick to count him out.
And Lopez proved to be far more skilled and measured than many believed beforehand, and
more importantly he proved his heart and determination are beyond reproach.
I genuinely admired the efforts of both champions, and in a day and age when all too often the
best don't fight the best when it matters most - Lopez and Lomachenko should both be
applauded for stepping up and making this big fight.
Especially during these unprecedented times.
Whatever these two outstanding boxers do next, I'll definitely be tuning in.
Hopefully a rematch will happen sooner than later.
So what did you think of the fight?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy's Corner.