He had to survive a shocking sixth-round knockdown to do it, but Vasiliy Lomachenko showed boxing fans why he belongs at or near the top of the mythical pound-for-pound rankings as he scored a technical knockout of Jorge Linares at 2:08 of the 10th round to win the WBA lightweight championship Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Lomachenko won his third world title in just his 12th professional fight, a record.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist from the Ukraine dominated most of the fight with speed that produced lightning combinations and a now-you-see-him, now-you-don?t defense. But he got careless in a the sixth when Linares dropped him with a lead right hand.
Lomachenko quickly regained control. Linares recognized he likely had to press the attack and opened up a little more in the late rounds. In the 10th, Lomachenko caught him early with a sharp left to the chin that stopped Linares in his tracks. About three punches later, a vicious right to the body sent Linares down.
He managed to get to his feet, but doubled over as if unable to shake out the cobwebs. Referee Ricky Gonzalez then waved it over.
To the surprise of many at ringside and a partisan crowd, the judges had it as an even fight when it ended. Steve Weisfeld had Lomachenko up 86-84; Robin Taylor favored Linares by the same score, and Julie Lederman had it even. Lomachenko was leading 87-83 on Newsday?s card.
Lomachenko was moving up to the 135-pound class to challenge a champion who came in with a 13-fight winning streak, including seven title defenses. But after seeing his previous four opponents, including the much-ballyhooed Guillermo Rigondeaux, quit on their stools, Lomachenko was more concerned about the entertainment value than Linares.
?It really doesn?t bother me to go up in weight,? Lomachenko said. ?What bothers me is I?m wondering if this fight will be interesting for the fans, interesting for the public . . . I don?t even think about what he?s going to bring to the ring. I?m thinking more about what kind of strategy I?m going to be doing and what kind of pace I?m going to be doing.?
The pace in the opening round was tepid as the two fighters sampled each other?s wares. Lomachenko threw at a higher rate, but Linares went to the body and showed his size might matter in the clinches. In the second, Lomachenko used his speed to frustrate Linares and make him miss, ending the round with a scoring flurry.
Lomachenko put sharp combinations of two, three, four punches together in the third and fourth. Linares? frustration with trying to connect became evident when they clinched in the fourth and he hit Lomachenko behind the head, drawing a warning from Gonzalez. As if to exact revenge, Lomachenko ended the fifth round with a brilliant combination of five or six head shots and returned to his corner talking back over his shoulder to Linares.
In the sixth, Lomachenko got too cocky near the end of the round. He walked toward Linares, who had his hands down. The champ then launched a short, sweet lead right hand to the chin of Lomachenko, who landed on the seat of his pants. He was up quickly, but it was a dramatic turn.
Lesson learned for Lomachenko. He continued to press his attack in the seventh and eighth, but showed a healthy degree of respect. With just over a minute left in the eighth, he gained some respect, too, with a huge left uppercut. Understanding the reality of the math on the scorecards, Linares stepped it up in the ninth and stung Lomachenko with a solid combination in the middle of the round and continued to press forward.
But as close as the judges might have had it, the ending was utterly decisive.
