Lomachenko stops Linares for historic 3rd world title

NEW YORK, United States (UPDATED) – Vasyl Lomachenko stopped Jorge Linares in the 10th round on Saturday, May 12, to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight world title and a slice of boxing history at Madison Square Garden.

Ukraine’s Lomachenko survived a 6th-round knockdown to set a record in claiming a world title in a 3rd weight division in just his 12th professional fight.

Lomachenko finished off the tightly contested bout with a fierce burst in the 10th, capped by a left to the body that sent Linares down.

“I prepared for the last few rounds, and my father told me, ‘You need to go to the body,'” Lomachenko said.

The Venezuelan got to his feet, but referee Ricky Gonzalez waved it off at 2:08 of the 10th to give Lomachenko a victory by technical knockout. 

Lomachenko improved to 11-1 with 9 knockouts, while Linares fell to 44-4 with 27 wins inside the distance.

The TKO that made Lomachenko the new WBA lightweight world champion.  #LinaresLoma pic.twitter.com/xXSt22Ni4g

— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2018

 

Linares said he thought he could have continued and would be eager for a rematch.

At the time of the stoppage, Lomachenko was up by two points on one judge’s card, Linares was up by two on another and one judge had it tied.

The bout, before a crowd of 10,429 in Madison Square Garden’s main arena, was a far cry from Lomachenko’s last 4 fights in which all of his opponents quit on their stools.

“I want to say thank you to Jorge Linares, he’s a great fighter and he gave me one more lesson in boxing,” said Lomachenko, who was sent to the canvas by a straight right to the nose late in the sixth round.

“I knew about this punch,” southpaw Lomachenko said. “But he’s good.”

Lomachenko quickly pulled himself together, his hand and foot speed making the difference against his bigger opponent.

“Going into this fight, we knew Loma was a huge talent,” said Lomachenko’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank. “After this fight, we know now that he’s a fighter.”

By the 8th round he’d opened a cut over Linares’ left eye, and he was remorseless in targeting the vulnerable spot.

The @GEICO Photo of the Fight: @VasylLomachenko puts @JorgeLinares down with a beautifully placed body shot. #LinaresLoma pic.twitter.com/0d965LlCnR

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 13, 2018

Lomachenko, whose storied amateur career included two Olympic gold medals, added the WBA lightweight belt to a stellar resume that includes a victory over Gary Russell Jr. for a featherweight world title in just his third pro bout. 

In his 7th fight, Lomachenko moved up to super featherweight and knocked out Roman Martinez to take his belt and set the record for fewest fights needed to win a world title in two weight classes.

Coming into Saturday’s fight he had made 4 successful defenses of that title – with all 4 challengers quitting on their stools. – Rappler.com