The magic within the matrix: Vasiliy Lomachenko’s most spell-bounding performances

Widely regarded as the best Pound-for-Pound fighter on the planet and future Hall of Famer, Vasiliy Lomachenko epitomizes the art of Boxing.

Ahead of his fight against Luke Campbell this weekend, we take a look at his three best performances.

Following his second Olympic gold medal triumph in London 2012, ‘Hi-Tech’ is arguably boxing’s greatest amateur of all time with a staggering 396-1 record. His only defeat, which came against the Russian Albert Selimov, was revenged quickly though, beating Selimov not once but twice after.

Gary Russell Jr – Won Majority Decision – 21st of June 2014

In just his third professional fight, the Ukranian challenged Gary Russell Jr for the WBO Featherweight World Title. Prior to the bout, Russell Jr was revered to have the fastest hands in world boxing and entered undefeated, with a perfect 24-0 record.

‘Loma’ got down to work straight away on the American. Despite being new to the professional game, the pugilist displayed magic that had never been witnessed before inside the squared circle; the angles, the movement and the combinations were simply wizardry.

With the 12 round-distance something Lomachenko had completed just once prior to the fight, Russell Jr did have his moments, roughing the then 26-year-old up during the middle rounds and highlighting the experience gap.

However, Lomachenko re-adjusted and cruised to a close but fair majority decision points victory and in doing so, became the joint fastest World Champion in history. It was the start of the ‘Matrix’ long and esteemed title run.

Guillermo Rigondeaux – Won RTD Round 6 – 9th December 2017

In one of the most anticipated contests of the year, Lomachenko squared off against fellow Pound-for-Pounder Guillermo Rigondeaux for the Super-Featherweight crown. ‘Rigo’ also the holder of two Olympic gold medals, had a similar stellar amateur career and was the Super-Bantamweight World Champion at the time.

In what was expected to be a true 50-50 dust-up, the fight was as one sided as you could get. Lomachenko simply blew the Cuban away, bewildering him with his switch-hitting and evasive style. At the end of round 6 and after punching the air for 18 minutes, Rigondeaux quit and subsequently, his side threw in the towel.

In the aftermath of the bout, the Ukranian gathered the nickname “No-mas-chenko.” ‘No Mas’ a term in Spanish which means “no more” was used after making four opponents in a row retire on their stools.

The manner of Lomachenko’s victory appears to be a defining chapter in the Ukranian’s legacy.

Jorge Linares – Won TKO Round 10 – 12th May 2018

Six months after elevating himself to boxing super-stardom, Lomachenko then faced another opponent at the elite echelons of the sport. On this occasion it was three-weight World Champion Jorge Linares. The Venezuelan had been on a 13-fight hot streak and was in the prime of his career. With the two most graceful and technical boxers in the game locking horns, this had the hallmarks of a classic at the Madison Square Garden.

After initally starting his career at Featherweight, Lomachenko was up at Lightweight for the first time in his career, two divisions above. In the Ukranian’s most gruelling victory, he had to pick himself up from the canvas for the first time. Linares was the much bigger man in the ring, looking to work on the inside and utilise his superior strength to his advantage.

However, ‘Hi-Tech’ proved he was made of stronger stuff; whilst dazzling with his effortless angles and footwork, Loma combined the beauty of boxing and the grit of the fight game to pull off the victory. Knocked down in the sixth round, Lomachenko silenced his sceptics by opting to launch vicious assaults to Linares body, slowing him down before knocking him out in 10th round with a shot to the solar plexus.

The performance now showed that Vasiliy Lomachenko had it all. All questions were answered. We were now answering to the calls of a legend.

On Saturday, the 31-year-old fights outside the US for the first time in his professional career, facing Britain’s Luke Campbell at the O2 arena.