This upcoming weekend on ESPN/ESPN+, fans will witness Vasiliy Lomachenko stepping back into the ring to face former undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos. The fight is set to happen in Kambosos’ home country of Australia. Lomachenko’s most recent bout was nearly a year ago, resulting in a close defeat against Devin Haney. Similarly, Kambosos faced a tough fight in his last outing, pulling off a majority decision win over Maxi Hughes. While this match isn’t make-or-break for either fighter, there’s a lot on the line for the victor.
If Lomachenko prevails on Saturday, his promoter Bob Arum has teased a potential showdown between Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson later in the year. However, for this to happen, both fighters would need to win their upcoming matches, and Stevenson might need to re-sign with Top Rank. Stevenson has shown interest in exploring other opportunities, like a potential bout with Gervonta Davis. But for now, the focus is on the immediate challenge at hand.
At 36 years old, with an illustrious amateur background, Lomachenko may not be in his prime, but he’s far from being considered past his prime. While criticism has been directed at his sluggish starts in fights against Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney, overall, he has delivered solid performances in most of his fights. Meanwhile, Kambosos has had to grind for his recent victories and is perceived as the underdog in this matchup.
For Kambosos to secure a win, he’ll need to leverage his aggression and possibly the support of his home crowd in Australia. Nevertheless, standing up against a skilled and tactical boxer like Lomachenko poses a formidable challenge. Despite Kambosos’s potential, the odds heavily favor Lomachenko in this clash.
The forecast leans towards a unanimous decision win for Vasiliy Lomachenko. Keep an eye out for other captivating matchups this weekend, including Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara. Written by Chris Carlson, Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast, accessible at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio. Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio.
