Tag Archives: nicholas
Nicholas Walters Shocks The World…But Not In A Good Way
Nicholas Walters Shocks The World…But Not In A Good Way
By: Sean Crose
I think it’s safe to say no one expected Saturday’s WBO super featherweight title fight between Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1) and Nicholas Walters (26-0-1) to end the way it did. Oh, most assumed Lomachenko would achieve the victory, but no one expected Walters to quit on his stool after the seventh round. This was the “Axe Man,” after all, the conqueror of Nonito Donaire. The man might not have had the skill of Loma as he walked into the ring at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas this weekend – but everyone knew he had the great equalizer known as punching power to go along with his own considerable skill set.
It didn’t matter. Not in the least. This was a world class shellacking. If there’s another, better, word for what transpired between the two undefeated fighters, I’m unfamiliar with it. Loma, the slick, disciplined, fast, aggressive boxer was far, far more than Walters could handle. Truth be told, the Jamaican was never really in the fight. He landed good to the body at times, but Loma’s relentless attack clearly frustrated Walters to no end. To be sure, there was no way Walters could keep up with his opponent. All he could hope is that some way, somehow, those shots to the body would wear Loma down.
That or he would somehow land a Sunday punch on the Ukrainian wunderkind.
Neither happened. And, in truth, Walters never fully allowed himself the chance to make them to happen. Why? Because he quit. Now, in fairness, the chances of the Axe Man pulling off the win were pretty slim. What’s more, he was being made to look second rate by Lomachenko, who was also being a bit of a jerk by openly rubbing it all in. Standing still with his hands down, waving in mockery between rounds…these tactics, freely employed by Loma, were most definitively not signs of good sportsmanship.
Was Walters right to just up and quit, however? There’s something about pulling a Roberto Duran that simply rubs people the wrong way. Indeed, there’s a difference between a person who quits on the stool during a serious physical beating and one who has simply had enough emotionally. The person who cares about his long term physical well being should suffer no shame. The person who simply doesn’t want to look silly, however…
Of course, all this is easy to say from the comfort of being behind a keyboard. In truth, no one really knows what was going through Walters’ mind except Walters. To be sure, Loma was starting to land hard on the man. A definitive end could have come quickly. Then again, Loma may have simply wanted to take sadistic pleasure from dragging the proceedings out. He wouldn’t be the first fighter to do such a thing.
Ultimately, however, a fighter should know that he or she runs the risk of such abuse when he or she decides to take up prize fighting as a profession. Those who embarrass easily might not want to engage in activity where they could get knocked unconscious in front of millions. Or be played with by a high level professional. It’s part of the hurt business that’s boxing. Or at least it is until you quit on your stool.
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Walters says “No Mas”, as Lomachenko retains Title
Walters says “No Mas”, as Lomachenko retains Title
By: Matthew N. Becher
In Bob Arums 2,000th promoted fight, Top Rank Boxing presented a highly anticipated World Title fight on HBO Boxing After Dark, live from The
Cosmopalitan in Las Vegas.
The champion Vasyl Lomachenko(6-1 4ko) defended his WBO Super Featherweight title against power puncher Nicolas Walters (26-0-1 21ko). These two fighters have been on a direct course of meeting in the ring for over a year, but do to contract disputes it was prolongued until last night.
The fight was controlled early on from the champion Lomachencko, who threw more punches, changed the angles and was one hundred percent the general in the ring.
Walters seemed timid, holding his power punch back, waiting for that one knock out punch.
Around the 4th round things began to get chippy between the fighters, with Lomachenko throwing Walters to the canvas during a clinch, and both fighters
being warned by Tony Weeks for rabbit punches and told to keep the fight clean.
The fifth round showed even more frustration for Walters, as he gave a low blow to Lomachencko. Lomachenko even stopped fighting at the end of the round, standing completely still for the final 10 seconds, showing the crowd and judges that Walters would not press the fight at all.
The seventh round was a showcase for Lomachenko, as he turned on the speed, punched at will and completely beat the spirit out of of Nicolas Walters. It seemed that during the round Walters was looking to Weeks and his own corner to stop the fight. Walters was able to last the round but decided not to continue any further, saying “No Mas” and conceding the fight betwen the 7th and 8th rounds.
Most champions would usually fight until they couldn’t stand anymore, but Walters was completely beat in every aspect of the fight. This was a blackeye for
Nicolas Walters, but it was also a point proven on how good Vasyl Lomachenko really is. A fighter with less than 10 professional fights could be the top pound for pound boxer in the world. Cannot wait to see who he fights next.
Lomachenko TKO 7
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Just How Good Is Vasyl Lomachenko?
Just How Good Is Vasyl Lomachenko?
By: Sean Crose
People are saying Ukrainian wunderkind Vasyl Lomachenko might end up being the greatest athlete to ever lace up a pair of gloves. I say we’re living in an age of hyperbole, an age where people are literally considered evil simply for voting for one particular candidate over another. Indeed, all the over-the-top rhetoric has grown tiresome to me. Still, the s endless praise heaped on Loma – as he’s called – by everyone from Bob Arum to Joe Rogan is not without merit. Heck, even a phone tech my wife was recently talking to was talking up the guy. That kind of attention is at least generally based on a solid foundation.
Is Lomachenko, however, as good as he’s cracked up to be? Well, we know he lost once, albeit in terribly unfair fashion to Orlando Salido (a fighter who I generally like). With that aside, however, he’s proved to be marvelous in the ring. Never mind that amateur record – which is nearly sickening in its awesomeness – there’s also wins like the absolute beatdown he laid on Roman Martinez late last spring. Make no mistake about it, Loma is something else. The footwork, the combos, even the power – it’s really impressive stuff.
There’s also the guy’s vaunted confidence. This here is a man who dares to be great. Seriously, could you picture any of the crop of today’s safety-first fighters wanting to face the likes the 26-0-1 Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters? The 6-1 Lomachenko has proven himself ready, able and willing to fight the destroyer of Nonito Donaire and others this very weekend. Sure enough, the Lomachenko-Walters fight at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas for the WBO world super featherweight strap might give us lots of insight into Lomachenko’s future.
Sure, Walters hasn’t fought in ages, but he’s only himself to blame if he doesn’t show up Saturday night with his A-game. In other words, he’s a legit challenge for the man some are already claiming might be the greatest ever. Indeed, those who feel Walters has no chance of pulling off the upset are fooling themselves. That’s why the fight should make for such a solid gauge of Loma’s talent. Walters is top level competition, the kind of name that glistens on a resume. Should Lomachenko win and win impressively, the hype will start to become more than hype – at least to some degree.
Ultimately, it will take a while to tell if this very talented boxer will attain the insane promise he’s presented the world with – or that some have presented before him. For now, we only know that Lomachenko has proven himself to be quite accomplished in just seven fights and that his potential is considerably higher than the average fighters. In the end, Lomachenko himself will prove to us whether or not he’s as good as advertised. Give him credit, though, for daring to be great. If only more talented boxers had the man’s ambition. Or Walters’, for that matter. The Axe Man has chosen one hell of a tree to try to cut down this weekend, after all.
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Lomachenko-Walters Set To Throw Down In November
Lomachenko-Walters Set To Throw Down In November
By: Sean Crose
Boxing got some much needed good news on Tuesday (it’s been in a doldrums worthy of Coleridge lately) when word arrived that Ukrainian vunderkind Vasyl Lomachenko will be facing hard hitting Montego Bay native Nicolas Walters on November 26th in Vegas. The scrap will be for Lomachenko’s super lightweight title and will air on HBO. Although neither Loma nor Walters, whose nickname is the Axe Man, are household names, this is a serious fight for boxing devotees, the kind of matchup the sport needs to see more of in order to be prosperous and healthy.
Walters – 26-0-1 – has been out of the fight game for what seems like forever, while the 6-1 Loma has been waiting for an opponent worthy of his considerable talent. Although few may feel Walters can rise to the occasion, the former titlist is indeed one of the biggest threats out there for the lauded (former) amateur great. Needless to say, this battle is must see for fight nuts. Indeed, Walters is a skilled and powerful fighter in his own right (just ask Nonito Donaire). Sure enough, it may prove to be unwise to write off the Axe Man in this case.
Some may recall that the two men were supposed to fight some time ago but that Walters, so the tale went, reportedly asked for too much money. Whether this story was true or not is unknown to this author – at this point, does it really matter? – but it does make clear the fact that fans have been clamoring for this matchup for some time now. The (potential) pairing wouldn’t have generated as much buzz as it did the first time around if no one was interested.
Lomachenko, whose last fight went down in June when he decimated a game Roman Martinez, will be riding a five fight winning streak since losing a dirty battle to the gritty Orlando Salido back in 2014. Walters, on the other hand, will be fighting for the first time since December of last year when he received what can best be described as a controversial decision draw to Jason Sosa in a bout this writer and others clearly believed he won. Previously, Walters had stopped five of his last six opponents, including such notables as Donaire and Vic Darchinyan.
With rough patches now behind them, both fighters are entering what is surely the biggest match of each man’s life, a match that arrives none too soon for fans discouraged with this showcase era of boxing.
