The challenger?s corner threw in the towel after seven. It was Lomachenko?s third fight in a row where he made his opponent quit?
Saturday night at at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, in a fight televised live on ESPN, reigning and defending WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs), the southpaw sensation from Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine, stopped Miguel Marriaga (25-3, 21 KOs), the former WBO/NABO featherweight champion from Cartagena, Colombia, after knocking him down in the third and seventh rounds to retain his title.
The challenger?s corner threw in the towel after seven. It was Loma?s third fight in a row where he made his opponent quit.
Fighting out of the red corner in yellow and red trunks, Lomachenko took control at the opening bell. Working behind an educated jab, ?High-Tech? stalked his man, casual yet determined, landing head and body shots and uppercuts.
Marriaga, fighting out of the blue corner in red, blue and yellow trunks, had never fought anyone like Lomachenko before. After the whooping he received, he?ll never fight anyone like Lomachenko again.
According to CompuBox, Lomachenko landed 186 of 534 total punches thrown (34.8 %) to 42 of 250 (18%) for Marriaga. In the jab department it was worse. Loma connected with 40 of 187 jabs (21.4%) to 5 of 100 (5%) for Marriaga. Lomachenko also landed 146 of 347 (42.1%) power punches to Marriaga?s 40 of 150 (26.7%).
?High-Tech? got stronger as the fight progressed. In rounds six and seven, the last two rounds of the fight, the champ outlanded the challenger 80 punches to 10.
The sky is the limit for Lomachenko. Everyone who fights him will be tested. Loma will take them places they didn?t know existed.
After the fight Lomachenko said, ?Of course it was very interesting fight for me. This fight I have more experience. Thank you very much.?
Loma thanked Marriaga for butting him. Bleeding like a stuck pig was a new experience, another storm he weathered, and he?ll be a better fighter for it.
When asked about the blood streaming down his face, Lomachenko said, ?I need training my defense. I need to work on my defense. I will fight anybody. I want to unificate titles.?
Lomachenko will get his wish.
