By Matt Wood: Two exciting featherweights will square off for the vacant WBO 126-pound title this month on June 21 in American Gary Russell Jr. (24-0) and Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko (1-1). If you’re unfamiliar with these fighters, their records might indicate a lopsided fight with Lomachenko having only two pro bouts under his belt, one of which is a loss, while Russel has steadily stacked up wins as a pro since 2009.
But this fight should be closer than the records indicate. Lomachenko is frequently called the “greatest amateur boxer in history” with 396 wins and two Olympic gold medals to his credit. While that’s certainly impressive, the Ukrainian showed his pro inexperience in his loss to veteran Orlando Salido, failing to change the pace of the fight and allowing the high volume punching Salido to land repeatedly to the body. Salido had some good luck in that his repeated low blows went virtually unnoticed by the referee, but most believe he won the fight.
Gary Russel Jr is coming off an impressive round 4 stoppage of Mexican Miguel Tamayo last January, but Lomachenko will likely be his biggest test to date. Despite Russel’s undefeated record, he hasn’t faced an opponent the caliber of an Orlando Salido. Russell Jr has been hailed for his seriously fast hands and explosive combinations, while Lomachenko is known for his technical soundness and fluid movement around the ring. Both men are southpaws, and both are hungry for their first title.
The fight will take place at the StupHub Center in Carson, California and promoted by Golden Boy, who won a very close purse bid, narrowly outbidding rival Top Rank. The WBO featherweight title is currently vacant due to the prior champion, Salido, failing to make weight in the fight mentioned above against Lomachenko.
Russell has stated, perhaps understandably, that it’s not fair for Lomachenko to get back-to-back title shots with such a meager professional record, so he has something to prove next Saturday. Top Rank signed Lomachenko last year, seeing him as an easy sell to the boxing world, and almost immediately got him a WBO title shot. To somebody like Russell who’s been fighting around four fights a year since 2009, this must seem like a little too much politics in boxing.
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