Vasiliy Lomachenko prevails over Masayoshi Nakatani’s exciting elimination, gives impetus to restart with Teofimo López

Vasiliy Lomachenko entered the Las Vegas ring on Saturday night trying to get a point. He did so, winning again in the column with a dominance against Masayoshi Nakatani, finishing ninth in the playoffs.

Lomachenko would return to the ring for the first time since losing two lightweight championship belts to a defeat against Teofimo Lopez. Before fighting Lomachenko, Lopez’s toughest career came in his 2019 fight with Nakatani. Lomachenko did not have the same problems with the rare Japanese fighter in Saturday’s fight at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

The most terrifying moment of Lomachenko’s fight came in the 1st round, when the fighters bent down at the same time, and as a result, he let the blood run down Lomachenko’s face. This cut was handled between rounds and from then on the fight was Lomachenko.

Unlike when he lost to Lopez, when Lomachenko gifted many of his first days through inactivity, Lomachenko had his foot on the gas in the jump to get his speed and feet out of Nakatan. The lightweight Japanese never got the right jab or right because of Lomachenko’s ability to get inside a much higher opponent.

Things quickly started to go awry for Nakatani on Day 5, with Lomachenko placing his left hand around his guard in the pendant and then putting Nakatani on the right and left in the canvas. Nakatani was able to lift his feet and continue to try to fight again, but Lomachenko’s left hand landed again and again in subsequent rounds. His left hand was also landing on the right side of Nakatani’s face, having broken an orbital bone in the previous two fights.

Nakatani’s eyes would continue to swell during the sixth and seventh rounds.

Beaten and his eye swollen, Nakatani made a final effort in the ninth round, but Lomachenko shook his left hand with more than a pair of right-handed hands before sending Nakatani to the canvas, this time forcing the referee to stop.

Lomachenko gained 59% of his power during the fight, completely dominating the action in every round.

Now the focus will again be on Lomachenko’s effort to get revenge on Lopez. The Campground has repeatedly thrown out the idea of ​​giving Lomachenko a second fight, but the two fighters under the Top Rank band may have to restart Lopez’s case or have to climb to 140 pounds.

Lopez’s father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., attended Saturday night and told ESPN he would be ready to say goodbye, but said the next fight of the two fighters should be in September after Lopez defended his scheduled title against George Kambosos.

“Everyone saw how I won and everyone has been waiting for the rematch,” Lomachenko said after the fight. “So let’s take revenge … I understand he’s struggling in the future. But then. How about that? At the beginning of next year. December. January. February. I’m waiting.”

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