Vasyl Lomachenko spoke in recent days about the historic significance of headlining the first boxing card at MGM National Harbor. On Saturday night, the 130-pound Ukrainian champion provided a performance fitting of the new Theater at MGM in just the ninth bout of his professional career.
With a combination of precise punching power and expert footwork, Lomachenko easily dispatched challenger Jason Sosa, whose corner stopped the bout following the ninth round, to retain his World Boxing Organization belt.
Lomachenko showcased why many regard him among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
In front of an announced sellout crowd of 2,828, the fighter Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum called the most technically skilled he has seen in 50 years in the business left his long-shot challenger frequently swinging at air and, by the end, visibly swollen over both eyes.
?I came in to do my job and show everyone the ?Hi Tech? style,? Lomachenko said, referring to his nickname for technical superiority. ?I think I did my job really well.?
Lomachenko?s speed advantage was never more apparent than late in the fourth round, when he landed a combination with his back to the ropes before ducking and reappearing in a flash on the other side. In the next round, Lomachenko (8-1, six knockouts) injected showmanship into the bout by taunting Sosa with a matador imitation.
?I couldn?t execute anything,? Sosa said. ?He?s just a great fighter.?
Lomachenko kept advancing in the later rounds as Sosa (20-2-4, 15 KOs), clearly fatigued, continued to swing and miss. In the eighth, Lomachenko landed a dozen or so punches in a row, rocking Sosa to the point that referee Kenny Chevalier told his corner after the round he would stop the fight if the proceedings continued to be as disproportionately one-sided.
In another boxing first, Lomachenko, whose decorated amateur career included nearly 400 fights with just one loss, was one of three Ukrainian fighters featured in the televised portion of the card. The hearty Ukrainian turnout included fans waving their country?s flag, singing along to the Ukraine national anthem and screaming wildly each time a Ukrainian fighter walked to the ring.
Both Ukrainian fighters on the undercard won their bouts, with light heavyweight Oleksander Gvozdyk producing a Round 3 stoppage against Yuniesky Gonzalez and cruiserweight Aleksandr Usyk outlasting Mike Hunter in an unanimous 12-round decision.
The final nontelevised undercard bout featured Waldorf?s Mike Reed winning a unanimous decision over Mexico?s Reyes Sanchez, with all three judges scoring the super lightweight fight 99-91. The best chance for Reed (22-0, 12 KOs) to collect a knockout came with a clean right in Round 3, but Sanchez was able to remain upright.
An accidental head butt on the part of Sanchez in the seventh left Reed somewhat rattled and had him hollering expletives as he headed to his corner at round?s end. Trainers immediately attended to Reed, stopping the bleeding temporarily until after the fight, when he required two stitches to close the wound for good.
?I got him with a good shot in the third round, but I let him go,? Reed said, unimpressed with his performance. ?On a grade of one to 10, I got a four.?
