Boxing Pound Pound Ranking: Vasiliy Lomachenko recalls his greatness, jumps to the top five

Many rumors about the death of former pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko have been exaggerated.

Lomachenko (16-0, 11 KOs), a former three-time champion, reminded the 33-year-old that he needs to be convinced of how far he has come from his physical age. Twice Olympic gold medalist in Ukraine he was so successful last Saturday in defeating former 135-pound champion Richard Commey so completely He was pleading with Judge Lomachenko to stop the fight.

The victory was the second straight for Lomachenko since losing to Teofimo Lopez Jr. in 2020, and the retrospective fight could have meant that Lopez overcame the same night that Lomachenko needed too much time to make the second-half adjustment. Lopez George Kambosos Jr. the recent shocking defeat at the hands of the rookie turned the power structure upside down to 135 kilos, and it became more dangerous than ever to reconcile the titles of Lomachenko.

Lomachenko was honest and brilliant against Commey, who hoped to be a big favorite of the oddsmakers. But it was the arrogance employed by Lomachenko and his commitment to being more physical in the clinch that gave the process a bad advantage.

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This was the first time Lomachenko had activated his former character “NoMasChenko” in more than two years. Although Commey eventually ended the fight in a decisive defeat, Lomachenko’s behavior suggested he wanted to get a point.

Lomachenko’s shift to a larger presence within could be a genius tactic that strives to compensate for his inevitable physical decline, given that his style depends on speed and reaction time.

If he can’t get out of the title fights against the Cambodians or WBC title-holder Devin Haney, Lomachenko will have a chance at a lower level against the undefeated junior lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. Both fighters are promoted by Bob Arum and Top Rank.

Pound pound rankings

Excluded: Teofimo Lopez Jr.

Honorable Mention: Juan Francisco Estrada, Artur Beterbiev, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Yordenis Ugas, Roman Gonzalez