Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to watch
Michelangelo paint or Beethoven compose a symphony?
On Saturday night, you have an opportunity to watch the
Michelangelo paint and Beethoven compose as their genius inhabits the body of
Ukrainian Super Featherweight Vasyl Lomachenko.
Lomachenko doesn’t fight, he weaves tapestries across the
ring with his opponents serving as canvas. A two-time Olympic gold medalist
with 397 amateur fights includes one loss – a loss that was avenged twice –
Lomachenko has a case to make as best amateur boxer of all-time. In seven
professional fights, he outclassed opponents so convincingly his one loss is
blamed on the referee’s incompetence and professional inexperience.
Lomachenko’s genius is found in the smallest details. A
southpaw, it’s instructive to watch his feet. Lomachenko’s feel are ALWAYS in
the right position. Southpaws are supposed to have their lead foot (the right
foot) outside of an orthodox fighter’s lead foot. This allows the southpaw to
line up the right hook and left hand consistently. This position also prevents
the orthodox fighter from lining up the right hand. Watch any Lomachencko
fight, the right foot is always in the outside position.
What happens when opponents throw back or attempt to move
Lomachenko out of that position? Simple. His feet are so quick he dashes back
and pivots. Whether it’s pivoting out or in, Lomachenko is so effective at being
a matador he almost waits a half second before unloading the hook or left hand because
if he unloads immediately he’s guilty of rabbit punching. The feet tell the
story.
Lomachenko isn’t a pressure fighter the way Gennady Golovkin
or Sergey Kovalev are. He’s comfortable moving in all directions. An offensive
fighter without doubt, Lomachenko’s defense is positional and not dependent on
parrying or clinches. Unlike defensive maestros in the mold of Floyd
Mayweather, Lomachenko doesn’t counter with pot shots. Instead there are left
hand-right hook combinations to the head and body. The punches are not designed
to score points, but to score the knock out.
The best example is how Lomachenko knocked out Rocky
Martinez. In the 5th round, with Martinez already wobbled a few
times, he set the trap. As Martinez gathered himself along the ropes, he threw
a couple “stay away from me” punches towards the Ukrainian. Lomachenko was
undeterred. He struck with a left uppercut splitting the Puerto Rican’s gloves before
terminating on his chin. Martinez’s head jutted up just in time for a vicious
right hook to end the fight.
Prior to that fight, Lomachenko stopped Romulo Koasicha on a
left hand to the liver – a nearly impossible punch for a southpaw to deliver if
only because of the distance needing to be covered. Lomachenko’s last three
fights ended inside the distance, and his last decision – his first title
defense against Thai boxer Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo – only went the distance because
Lomachenko broke his left hand in the 7th round.
Now, Lomachenko has the fight he’s been agitating for over
the last year – Nicholas “The Axe Man” Walters. Walters is easily the toughest
opponent Lomachenko has faced since his loss to Orlando Salido. While Salido’s
rough and busy style caused Lomachenko problems, Walters presents a different
test. Walters can crack. Ask Nonito Donaire. Walters guaranteed a win by KO.
Walters feels overlooked by his promoter and by the boxing public. He’s
motivated.
As a boxer, Walters doesn’t have serious areas of weakness.
He’s a tough former champion who lost his belt because he failed to make
weight. After Donaire, none of Walters’ fights were major challenges. He
postured earlier in the year for a payday much higher than anyone thought
reasonable – Lomachenko even offered his cut of the purse if Walters proved
victorious. The Jamaican pugilist turned it down, and the fight seemed dead
until Daniel Jacobs started his ducking dance of Golovkin. Once the date
opened, HBO aggressively sought to make the fight and Top Rank seeks to use
this fight to promote Lomachenko with another big win.
Walters will try to make Lomachenko uncomfortable with
staying mid-range and getting rough. Really, that’s the only strategy that
makes sense with Lomachenko. Walters may even have some level of success
because of his power.
Lomachenko is a true master though, and for all the
posturing Walters does, the reality is Lomachenko’s adaptation to the pro ranks
is unprecedented. He better understands the art of breaking down opponents over
12 rounds instead of the Amateur’s 3. The Martinez fight displayed his ability
to go up in weight and maintain his speed and skills. As always, watch the
Ukrainian’s feet.
In any other fight, Walters should rightly be favored –
probably even against Salido – but The Axe Man is stepping into the ring
against Boxing’s premier artist.
When Picasso painted “Guerica” he captured the chaos of the
city’s bombing. The chaotic nature of the painting illuminated the desperation
war creates. Yet Picasso created possibly the most beautiful piece of art the
world ever saw.
The boxing ring is similarly chaotic. Inflicting pain and
injury within the confines of relatively few rules creates
the desperation two men feel as they inflict devastation upon each other. In
this ring, Lomachenko makes sense out of chaos, he thrives in desperation.
When you step back and look at “Guernica”, the lines that
are initially odd and the malformed shapes make you question the beauty of
Picasso’s signature piece.
The boxing ring with Lomachenko is similar. He makes sense
out of madness and in the violence, emerges unrelenting beauty.
