Vasyl Lomachenko Dazzles Again

Some boxing experts claim that Vasyl Lomachenko might be the finest boxer the sport has ever seen. If that boast is too great, the Ukrainian may be best of this generation and he showed why yet again on Saturday night inside Microsoft Theater at LA Live in Los Angeles.

Lomachenko improved to 9-1 by scoring his seventh pro knockout when he tormented veteran Miguel Marriaga for seven rounds. As usual, Lomachenko was nearly impossible to hit for much of the contest and his surgical precision was as deadly as ever. The two-time Olympic gold medalist dropped the Colombian with a left hook and then systematically picked him apart from the outside.

Lomachenko suffered a cut over his eye in the fourth from an accidental clash of heads, but that just served to fuel “Hi=Tech” even further. Lomachenko was in such command that the European phenom toyed with his foe, showboated and then raked him clean punches to the head and body. When Lomachenko dropped Marriaga (25-3, 21 KOs) with another left in the seventh, the withered contender plodded back to his corner after the round. From there, his corner had seen enough and halted the ESPN-televised contest.

The win allowed Lomachenko to retain his WBO junior lightweight world championship. With an endless supply of high-level opponents lingering in the shadows, it’s unclear who Lomachenko will fight next, though Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said he’d fight in December.