Philippines, 11 Jan 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


He's Back: Vasiliy Lomachenko Returns Saturday Night Against Masayoshi Nakatani in Lightweight Main Event

PhilBoxing.com





LAS VEGAS (June 24, 2021) — Former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko is ready for the next chapter. Eight months after losing an undisputed lightweight title match to Teofimo Lopez, "Loma" returns Saturday night in a 12-round lightweight bout against Japanese contender Masayoshi Nakatani at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

In the 10-round middleweight co-feature, undefeated sensation Janibek "Qazaq Style" Alimkhanuly will fight former world champion Rob "Bravo" Brant.

Both fights will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, with undercard bouts set to begin on ESPN+ at 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT.

At the final press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.



Vasiliy Lomachenko

“I can’t wait to be back in the ring. I’m very excited and I want to show my best skills. I want to prove to myself, my family, my friends, my team, who I am in the ring.”

“He is a tough guy. He has the height and the reach. I think he is a very good boxer. That’s why he was my choice as an opponent.”

“It’s great to have fans {in the crowd}. They push us in the ring. They give us energy.”

“I have a fight this Saturday, and after that, we can talk about a rematch. I want it!”

Masayoshi Nakatani

“A fellow Japanese fighter {Inoue last week} having a great performance is very motivating for me.”

“This is a fight that I have to win and that I want to win.”

“When this fight came up, I felt that it is the biggest fight of my career. But getting the fight doesn’t mean anything. I must win for this fight to mean something. I’m going to win!”



Rob Brant

“I’m feeling amazing. It’s never a surprise being the underdog. I’m looking forward to it. You have to take the risks. I have no problem with being the underdog.”

“I learned a lot of patience and guidance from my trainer, {Brian} 'BoMac' McIntyre. I have always been known as a high-volume boxer, but with BoMac I have learned and developed a lot of the patience.”

“This is Top Rank. Everyone wants to be at the highest level, and I want to prove that I belong here. My focus is 100 percent on beating Janibek on Saturday.”

Janibek Alimkhanuly

“This fight is very important for me. I’m 100 percent ready, and Saturday night I’m going to show what 'Qazaq Style' is all about. Very soon I’ll be fighting as the main event.”

“Three years ago, I started training with Buddy McGirt. I like him a lot. He is looking to add more tools to the style that I already have. We are already looking to win a world title together.”

SATURDAY, June 26, 2021

ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Masayoshi Nakatani, 12 rounds, lightweight

Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Rob Brant, 10 rounds, Alimkhanuly's WBO Global and WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Titles

ESPN+, 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT

Giovani Santillan vs. Cecil McCalla, 10/8 rounds, welterweight

Robert Rodriguez vs. Luis Fernando Saavedra, 6 rounds, bantamweight

Guido Vianello vs. Marlon Williams, 4 rounds, heavyweight

Floyd Diaz vs. Jaime Jasso, 4 rounds, bantamweight

Subaru Murata vs. Keven Monroy, 4 rounds, junior featherweight

DeMichael Harris vs. Jonatan Hernan Godoy, 4 rounds, lightweight





Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Former WBC champ Bazooka Limón hospitalized in Mexico
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sun, 11 Jan 2026
  • Zuffa Boxing set to unveil its maiden card on January 23 in Las Vegas
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • ‘I’ve got an army and army’s move in numbers’ Owen Corrigan returns for Light Heavyweight title Clash March 13 in Perth – Thunderdome 53
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • Pasalamat Festival Chess Tour 2026 to Push Through
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS & TURNING STONE RESORT CASINO PRESENT CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - VERONA, NY
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • ELIF TURHAN SIGNS NEW MULTI-FIGHT DEAL WITH MATCHROOM BOXING – FIRST IBF WORLD TITLE DEFENCE DATE SET FOR SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • Driving Philippine Tennis Forward: Jean Henri Lhuillier Champions the 2026 Cebuana Lhuillier Tennis Tour
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • 2026 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Selection Camp Attendees Announced
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • ‘I’m ready to make some noise’ Billy Quinncroft returns for Cruiserweight title Clash March 13 in Perth – Thunderdome 53
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Dableo and Laylo's Team to Compete in Bulacan
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Sanman Boxing present Yeerken vs. Carcedo WBA Asia South Title Clash in General Santos City on Feb 9
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Hardstone adds 2 more title fights on January 26
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Panamerican Boxing Confederation Partners with Xempower for Digital and AI-Driven Transformation
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • IGMOB TALENT GROUP Launches www.IGMOBTalent.com to Represent Fighters, Entertainers, and Rising Talent Across Sports & Media
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • SEAG Davao-based athletes eye International stints
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Canoy banking on his ring experience against Kuse
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • Undefeated Kansas Middleweight Prospect Marco “El Tiburon” Romero finished 2025 with 7th triumphs, all by knockout, & 11-0 record
    , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • Kinetix Sports aims for bigger events in 2026
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • 2026 Santa Maria Town Fiesta Chess Challenge on January 26
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • World Ranked Heavyweight Dainier Pero Headlines on Saturday, January 17th at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia
    , Wed, 07 Jan 2026
  • Jahyae Brown to Battle Arnold Gonzalez in Exciting Co-Feature on Thursday, January 15th at The War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey
    , Wed, 07 Jan 2026
  • Hendri Cedeno Seeks Monumental Victory Against Alfredo Santiago for NABO Title January 10 at Barclays Center
    , Tue, 06 Jan 2026
  • Kingsley Ibeh learned from his Loss 5 years ago to Jared Anderson
    , Tue, 06 Jan 2026
  • Unified World Cruiserweight Champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez returning to Corpus Christi…as a promoter!
    , Tue, 06 Jan 2026
  • Ocum to fight Ballesteros on January 26
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Mon, 05 Jan 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.