There’s no shame in losing to a man like Lomachenko – George Kambosos
After losing his unified crown nearly four years ago, Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko is once again a world champion.
Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) captured the vacant IBF lightweight world title by defeating hometown hero “Ferocious” George Kambosos Jr. (21-3, 10 KOs) via 11th-round TKO on Sunday afternoon at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
Though the 36-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist hadn’t fought since last May’s undisputed title bid, it took just three rounds for him to figure out Kambosos. After absorbing an early body attack, the Ukrainian legend began peppering Kambosos with his signature short punches in round four, seemingly looking to end things early.
The onslaught continued into the fifth as Kambosos’ face began to reflect Lomachenko’s nearly 50 percent connect advantage. In round eight, Kambosos suffered a cut above his right eye as Lomachenko continued to tag him.
In the 11th, Lomachenko landed a left that dropped Kambosos, who rose off the deck only to be dropped again with another left, but this time to the body.
Lomachenko said, “It looked like a knockout today, not ‘No-Mas-Chenko.’ But, you know, we trained hard for this moment. I want to thank my opponent. He is a strong man and a true warrior.
“My plan was to adjust to my opponent. This is what I did during the fight. I knew I needed to finish strong. And in the last three rounds, I was trying to find his body.
I never ran around during my boxing career. I always take fights. Right now, I want to come back to my home, spend time with my family, and after I rest a little bit, we can talk about my future.”
Kambosos said, “He’s a true champion. He’s a legend of the sport. I give him the utmost respect. We knew what we are coming up against, and I tried my best. But it wasn’t enough today.
He’s one of the best fighters in history. So, I’m not ashamed. I wanted to finish the fight on my feet. I wanted to finish the rounds like I always do. But there’s no shame in losing to a man like Lomachenko.”