Lomachenko forces Rigondeaux to quit on his stool

NEW YORK, USA – The fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux was hailed as the first meeting between two-time Olympic gold medalists in a pro fight. Once the bell rang, the two fighters were on two completely different levels.

Lomachenko (10-1, 8 knockouts) outclassed the previously unbeaten Rigondeaux (17-1, 11 KOs), beating his Cuban foe to the punch constantly while avoiding his foe’s limited offensive output before Rigondeaux quit on his stool after the sixth round.

Rigondeaux claimed he had hurt his left hand, though he barely landed the power punch against the elusive Ukrainian.

“Maybe I change my second name…now my name is ‘No-Mas-Chenko,'” said Lomachenko, who retained the WBO junior lightweight title. 

Rigondeaux, who is still the lineal champion two divisions down at 122 pounds, is the fourth straight opponent to remain in the corner between rounds against Lomachenko, who has won 9 straight since losing a decision in his second fight to Orlando Salido, who blew the featherweight limit by over two pounds when they fought in 2014.

“I lost but it was because of my hand,” said Rigondeaux, who attempted to discredit Lomachenko’s performance by claiming he wasn’t getting hit much.

Lomachenko, who looks set to fill the void left by the retirements of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Andre Ward as the sport’s pound-for-pound best, didn’t toot his own horn too much afterwards, noting the size difference between the two.

“It’s not a big win for me because it’s another weight category,” said Lomachenko. – Rappler.com