By Daniel Gonzalez

LOS ANGELES – More than 10,000 fans at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, as well as all those who tuned in on ESPN+, all got to see another special performance by Ukraine’s WBA and WBO lightweight title holder, Vasyl Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs).  He once again vanquished another credible opponent in what can only be described as a mesmerizing fashion.  England’s Anthony Crolla (34-7-3, 13 KOS) who is an experienced former world champion and someone who has fought at a world class level during his career, was made to look as if he did not belong in the same ring as the former two time Olympian.

After Lomachenko felt out Crolla in the first round, he settled in and simply outclassed Crolla.  His footwork, speed and varying angles of attack overwhelmed the Englishman.  So much so, that towards the end of 3rd round referee Jack Reiss stepped in and ruled a knockdown as Crolla was kept on his feet by the ropes.  After some confusion, when Lomachenko thought he won and leaped onto the ropes of the neutral corner in celebration and the California boxing commission representatives stepped in the ring, referee Jack Reiss ruled that the fight should continue.  However, Lomachenko quickly finished Crolla off in the 4th round with a thunderous right hook that sent the Englishman face first into the canvas, and left him unable to continue.

The level to which Lomachenko was able to turn up the pressure towards the end of round 2 and through rounds 3 and 4 was absolutely phenomenal.  It was matrix like.  His footwork and ability to vary the speed on his punches, left Crolla confused and helpless.  He was unsure if he should throw punches back or put his earmuffs on and cover up.  Ultimately, the Ukranian southpaw unloaded combinations that almost appeared as if you were pressing the fast forward button while watching the fight.  All you could really say while watching is WOW, or unreal.    

After the fight, Crolla gracefully acknowledged the he was outclassed, “My pride is more hurt than my body as I wanted to give it my best but he’s just phenomenal….He’s very special. He doesn’t waste a shot. He’ll go on to dominate and do whatever he wants to do in the sport.”

Prior to this matchup, Lomachenko did not appear to excited to take the fight. He has made it clear that he wants to unify the lightweight division and wants to fight the best of the best.  He was originally scheduled to fight IBF champion, Richard Commey (28-2, 25 KOs), but Commey sustained a hand injury in his fight again Isa Chaniev in February that he has not yet recovered from.  That left Lomachenko with no choice but to fight Crolla.

In the post fight interview, Lomachenko suprisingly indicated that he would like to face WBC 135 title holder Mikey Garcia in a title-unification bout.  However, Garcia recently went up to 147 pounds to face Errol Spence, and may decide to campaign at a higher division.  This fight to me, has not lost my attention at all, despite Garcia’s lopsided loss to Spence.  Garcia is a natural lighweight and is also a special talent in the division. This undoubtedly is one of the best fights that can be made in boxing today.   

Bob Arum, who was delighted by Lomanchenko’s performance stated, “I’ve been doing this for well over 50 years and I’ve never seen anything like this guy…it is almost breathtaking.”  Arum is right.  Lomachenko is a rare talent.  Every time he gets in the ring, we see things that we do not normally see in a boxing contest. His skill and footwork are indeed spectacular and quite frankly, I can not name another boxer in the history of the sport that I can compare him to.  He truly appears to be in a class of his own.  The 21 year old Teofimo Lopez, who was in attendance and will be fighting on the undercard of Terrence Crawford v. Amir Khan pay per view next week has also shown us glimpses of supernatural talent, but I am not sure if he is ready for the Matrix.  Lopez feels that he is though, and is doing everything he can to let the world know that he wants to face Lomachenko in the near future.

If Bob Arum gets his way, Mikey Garcia will vacate his WBC lightweight belt and Lomachenko will go to England to challenge Luke Campbell for that title, while a match up between Teofimo Lopez and RIchard Commey could be made.  This would eventually lead to a potential fight between the winners of those two matchups to unify all of the hardware in lighweight division.  Hopefully Mikey Garcia will not do what Arum is wishing for and we can see him and Lomachenko in the ring sooner rather than later.

Daniel Gonzalez is a Senior Boxing Writer. Dan writes for many publications including Boxing Action Magazine, www.BoxingAction24.com and www.SideStepBoxing.com

Photos by Mikey Williams / Top Rank