DOES Anthony Crolla deserve his shot against WBO and WBA lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko? The two will fight on Friday (April 12) but even though Crolla is a former world champion and still within the top five lightweights in the world, he is a hefty underdog. Despite losing his title he remained relevant in the division, beating Ricky Burns and winning an eliminator for Lomachenko’s WBA belt. That secured him his fight with Lomachenko. In this week’s issue of Boxing News we analyse in depth the abilities of the two fighters, but Lomachenko is almost peerless, certainly one of the best fighters in boxing today and he might well go down in the sport’s history.
As promoter Bob Arum pointed out, Lomachenko is always worth watching. “I think this is going to be a very good and interesting fight,” he said. “It’s the equivalent of watching Picasso do a painting. What a great thrill that would be. It’s a great thrill for people who love boxing to watch this guy fight. It’s something that’s unique. It’s something that we won’t see again for many years. All fans should come out and watch this because this is an artist at work.”
Lomachenko has already beaten Jorge Linares, a man with two good wins over Crolla behind him. “I saw his fights with Linares. Anthony Crolla has a very defensive style. I have my strategy, and I plan on showing it Friday night. I will find the key to his defence. I have to be aggressive and throw a lot of punches. I want to win and I don’t like to lose. That is my motivation. I always think about the fans and putting on a show in the ring,” the Ukrainian said.
But he is already looking forward to his next challenge. He wants to become undisputed. Lomachenko said, “I need two more belts to become undisputed champion. In my next fight, maybe I will unify with Richard Commey. Everyone asks me about Mikey Garcia, but can he make 135lbs? If he vacates his belt, we will see what happens. If he can cut the weight, I’m ready.”
