Vasyl Lomachenko vs Jamaine Ortiz Fight Preview
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By Sina Latif
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Published: October 28, 2022
On Saturday, October 29 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, Vasyl Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KO’s) will look to secure an undisputed lightweight showdown against Devin Haney by overcoming unbeaten American Jamaine Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KO’s).
Lomachenko lost his lightweight titles in an upset defeat to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020, but has since mounted his comeback with dominant victories against Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey, showing he is still an elite fighter.
“The Matrix” was one of the absolute pound-for-pound elite before the Lopez loss, arguably Number 1 in the world, and a three-weight division champion.
On his day, Lomachenko is still arguably the best fighter in the world at 135 lbs and below. Exquisite footwork, balance, hand speed, angles, head movement, constant perpetual motion, the ability to make you miss and make you pay in an instant, ring IQ, and accuracy which gives the Ukrainian underrated power. Lomachenko is a complete fighter.
Lomachenko had agreed to a deal to fight then-unified champion George Kambosos Jr on June 5 in Melbourne, Australia, before Russia invaded Ukraine and Lomachenko decided to remain in Ukraine with his family and fight for his country.
“I just wanted to bring a little bit of sports attention to our country and Saturday, in Ukraine it will be Sunday morning, Ukrainian people, it will change a little bit their mind on good emotions,” Lomachenko said at the final press conference.
Lomachenko is looking for another world title shot as soon as possible, but Ortiz must be taken care of beforehand.
Ortiz is no slouch. The American is unbeaten and his last fight was a career-best win, a unanimous decision victory against Jamel Herring in May 2022. Although Herring was on the decline, the impressive fashion in which Ortiz beat Herring showed that Ortiz can hold his own. It would be a huge upset if Ortiz defeats Lomachenko, but he can certainly be expected to make the Ukrainian work for the win.
Ortiz has had his eyes set on Lomachenko for a long time, and will now have the motivation and determination with his long-time goal finally being delivered.
“This is something I always manifested into my life, eventually fighting Lomachenko,” Ortiz said at the final press conference. “The time has come. Here at the Mecca of boxing, at Madison Square Garden, everything I’ve asked for, and God has delivered it.”
Lomachenko is now 34, has been relatively inactive and has had numerous shoulder surgeries. How much does he have left in the tank? With an undisputed bout against Haney potentially on the horizon, this Ortiz fight will show us a lot.
Ortiz has nearly four inches reach advantage on Lomachenko and is a thudding body puncher. Those aspects of his game will trouble Lomachenko the most. As a lightweight, Loma has a greater size disparity against his opponents as opposed to 126 lbs and 130. His punches affect his opponents less and the Ukrainian is more prone to getting hurt himself.
Regardless, in Lomachenko, we are talking about one of the most skilled fighters of this generation.
If Loma prevails as the victor, as he is expected to, he is in the final chapters of his illustrious career, and huge fights await. Loma has the true heart of a champion, and will seek the most challenging, meaningful fights, which right now, would be Haney for all the marbles at 135 lbs.
Times have now changed. Loma is no longer viewed as the clear favourite against potential opponents in the same way he would have been in 2018. Despite his impressive resume, Loma would no longer be clearly favoured against the likes of Haney and Shakur Stevenson. Young, hungry champions who will have undoubtedly had their eyes on Loma for a while, much like Ortiz, looking to boost their legacies by beating the Ukrainian boxing icon, who is ageing by the day.
If Lomachenko deals with Ortiz conclusively, looking like his former self, then the whole lightweight division… tread with caution.
If Ortiz manages to pull off the upset, then it may be time for Loma to call time on a stellar career.
(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)
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