Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko is all set to enter the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California on Saturday, June 21, 2014, to take another stab at the vacant WBO featherweight title when he faces off against the upstart undefeated “Mr.” Gary Russell, Jr.
The last time Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko was in the ring, he was at the height of the boxing world’s eyes as he was on the brink of making boxing history when he challenged Orlando “Siri” Salido for the WBO featherweight title. With a win, Lomachenko would have become the only fighter in boxing history to win a boxing world title after only his second professional fight.
Before the Lomachenko/Salido fight, Salido would lose the WBO featherweight title because he came in overweight at the weigh in. The result of Salido’s negligence to make weight would cost him part of his boxing purse so the fight did not get cancelled and remained scheduled as planned.
So here was the scenario going into the Lomachenko/Salido fight on that San Antonio, Texas night back in March of this year: if Orlando Salido wins the fight, he would just be the winner of the fight and the WBO featherweight title would become vacant given that he was stripped of the WBO featherweight title. Vasyl Lomachenko, however, could win the WBO featherweight title if he wins the fight given that he made weight for the featherweight title fight.
Lomachenko would give Salido all he could handle in the fight, but Lomachenko found out real quick that the “A Type” fighters in the featherweight division are not the kind of fighters you can just beat up and build up your boxing record.
Salido’s weight would prove to be the catalyst in dashing Lomachenko’s boxing dreams as Salido used his extra cushion to move Lomachenko around the ring while taking shots from Lomachenko that just did not hurt Salido. Salido would win the fight by a split-decision, thus, the WBO featherweight title was declared vacant.
Now fast forward to June 2014, Lomachenko is back at it again as he will attempt to go after a world title in only his third professional boxing fight against a very good up and coming fighter in Gary Russell, Jr. so there is a possibility that lightning may strike twice for Lomachenko as Russell is a young and hungry fighter who is ready to become one of the best fighters in the world.
The vacant WBO featherweight title will be the prize for the winner of this fight, which will immediately capture the notoriety of the boxing world that these fighters are so badly seeking.
Conclusion
This is going to be a good fight. Lomachenko has been lucky in his short professional boxing career as he is getting a second title shot in the featherweight division in only his third fight as a boxing pro. Russell is undefeated in 23 professional fights so he is ready to be crowned champion and in my opinion deserves to be given that he has paid his dues, more so than Lomachenko has.
Lomachenko is looking to make boxing history once again and I get that , but is the featherweight division that watered down that a 2-time Olympic Champion has to turn pro in that division to make that division relevant?
Not sure of the answer, but I cannot wait to see this fight between 2 young and hungry fighters. The boxing world will witness the future of boxing on Saturday Night.
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