Vasiliy Lomachenko gave his besieged Ukrainian compatriots something to celebrate.
The 34-year-old lightweight contender, who has been out of the ring for 10 months because his country is at war with Russia, defeated Jamaine Ortiz by a unanimous decision in a 12-round bout on Saturday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Victory sets up a head-to-head with undisputed champion Devin Haney, although no deal has been struck.
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) did not have a strong start, which can be attributed to both his dismissal and Ortiz’s ability.
Ortiz put on a surprisingly strong performance, launching a quick, precise jab, landing with power strikes and using fleet movement to frustrate Lomachenko in the first half of a game. competitive rivalry.
However, Lomachenko, backed by an empathetic crowd, kept changing “Loma! Loma! Loma! , Started in charge of the middle innings. He fueled the action, connected on cleaner punches, outperformed his opponents, and dominated championship rounds for tough wins.
The official scores are 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Boxing Junkie also scored 115-113 for Lomachenko, seven innings with five remaining.
Later, Lomachenko paid tribute to Ortiz, with whom he had stood before the previous battle.
“I’ve told you before: Jamaine Ortiz is a tough fighter,” he said. “He’s a good boxer, he understands boxing.”
So does Lomachenko, the former weight champion, who was knocked off his perch and lost the 135-pound title to Teofimo Lopez in 2020. He has now won three straight fights, taking him. to the top position.
He was then asked what drove him down on Saturday.
“You know what motivated me, of course; four belts, four belts,” he said.
It was a reference to Haney, who joined his opponent in the ring when he was being interviewed. Lomachenko reiterated that he is prepared to take on an important challenge, which is fitting for the young champion.
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he said. “I took the risk, I went to Australia twice, and everything [former champion] George Kambosos authorized me to register. We’ll see when we come to negotiations. “
Lomachenko would probably be the underdog if he were to face Haney, especially since some might argue that he’s not as dominant compared to Ortiz as we might expect.
Even Lomachenko suggested he wasn’t in the best shape because of the sacking, but he also implied that wouldn’t be the case against Haney.
“I need more time to prepare,” he said. “I will be ready.”
