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By: Hans Themistode
Defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko has become almost an insurmountable task over the years. Outside the first and only loss of his career against Orlando Salido in his second pro contest, Lomachenko hasn’t come close to picking up the second.
Conjecture surrounding Lomachenko is simple, he is the best in the world. But that hasn’t stopped other big name fighters from calling him out. Amongst them, is two division world champion Gervonta Davis. The two have spent the past few years calling each other out over social media. And while Lomachenko would undoubtedly be the toughest fight of his young career, Davis expects the outcome to be the same. A knockout win.
“I see myself breaking him down in the ninth or tenth round,” said Davis to WBA President Gilberto Mendoza. “There’s not too many people out there that can stand toe-to-toe with me, especially at 130 or 135.”
At the moment, both Davis and Lomachenko are campaigning within the same weight class. But they are headed in completely different directions.
For Davis, a fall pay per view matchup against four division champion Leo Santa Cruz is set to take place sometime this coming fall. While Lomachenko on the other hand, has married himself to a unification contest against IBF Lightweight titlist Teofimo Lopez.
Although both contests are all but official, they could be derailed due to COVID-19. The deadly disease has postponed the sports world and determining when things could return to normal is strictly speculation at this point.
Fighting behind closed doors is an option that is on the table. But not without a few concessions. Most notably, lesser pay for fighters up front due to no fans in attendance.
Still, even with Davis and Lomachenko willing to take lesser pay to make the contest happen, they still experience major roadblocks. Two in particular are Teofimo Lopez and Leo Santa Cruz. Wins over them both could lead to a mega contest down the line. But those aforementioned wins are anything but a given.
