Vasiliy Lomachenko returned with a vengeance.
A tour-de-force performance was offered by the two-time Olympic Gold medalist and former three-division champion from Ukraine, who battered Japan’s Masayoshi Nakatani in their lightweight crossroads bout. Lomachenko overcame a cut in the opening round to force a one-sided stoppage at 1:48 of round nine Saturday evening from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
All eyes were on the adjustments Lomachenko would make on the heels of conceding his slew of lightweight titles to Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12KOs) in his most recent start eight months ago. The 33-year-old Ukrainian southpaw offered angles and aggression early, connecting with a left hand in the first minute of the opening round. Nakatani responded with a straight right hand, with Lomachenko forced to deal with a different kind of adversity after a clash of heads left him with a cut along the center of his hairline.
Armed with worldwide respected cutman Russ Anber, Lomachenko was left with little to worry about regarding the wound. It showed in his confident approach to round two, hurting Nakatani with a left hand and forcing the lightweight contender from Osaka to clinch.
Lomachenko landed a straight left hand at close quarters in round three, causing Nakatani’s knees to buckle. Nakatani was unable to compose himself fast enough to counter as Lomachenko was already out of punching range and working on the next combination.
Nakatani was briefly hurt midway through round four, courtesy of a body shot that nearly lifted his feet off the canvas. Nakatani returned the favor later in the round, landing right hands to redden the midsection of Lomachenko though one too many shots straying low as he was warned by referee Celestino Ruiz.
Round five threatened to devolve into a wrestling match, largely prompted by Nakatani who would initiate a clinch whenever Lomachenko worked his way inside. Things would get much worse for the 5’11½” lightweight, who would hit the deck courtesy of an overhand left and subsequent right hand in the closing seconds.
Lomachenko saw the opportunity to cause more damage and fought accordingly in round six. A left hand by the former three-division titlist along the ropes snapped back the head of Nakatani, who rode out the storm and fought through a stream of blood flowing from his nose and mouth.
Things grew worse for Nakatani in round seven, who was repeatedly clipped by left hands from Lomachenko. Action remained in one direction, to the point where the ringside physician and Nakatani’s corner grew concerned over the threat of compromised eye sight due to the high rate in which Lomachenko was landing power shots upstairs.
Lomachenko continued to chop away in round eight before closing the show one round later. Nakatani was badly wobbled by a left hand midway through round nine, the same round in which he recovered from two earlier knockdowns to drop and stop Felix Verdejo last December. His fighting heart disallowed him to step back and try to box, as Lomachenko continued to pour on the attack.
A series of left hands from Lomachenko caused significantly swelling around the right eye of Nakatani, who was all but out on his feet. Referee Celestino Ruiz—who served as the third man for Nakatani’s comeback knockout win over Verdejo—jumped in at the opportune time to stop the onslaught.
Nakatani suffers his first stoppage defeat as he falls to 19-2 (13KOs). His lone other career defeat came to Lopez in their July 2019 title eliminator, leading to Lopez’s wins over Richard Commey and Lomachenko to currently serve as the lightweight king.
It’s a role that Lomachenko seeks to reclaim, as he improves to 15-2 (11KOs). The stoppage victory is his first since halting former lightweight titlist in the fourth round of an April 2019 defense of his WBA/WBO lightweight titles.
