By Dan Ambrose: Nicholas Walters was no competition last night for WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, who did a superb job of out-classing him until the former featherweight world champion quit after the 7th round had ended at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Walters had experienced enough one-way punishment at the hands of the skillful Lomachenko, and he didn’t want any part of going any further. After the match had ended, Lomachenko made it clear that he wants to fight a unification match against WBC super featherweight champion Francisco Vargas.
By Allan Fox: After forcing his opponent Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters (26-1-1, 21 KOs) to quit after the 7th round last Saturday night, WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) made it clear what his goal is for the near future by saying “My goal is to be No.1 pound-for-pound,” when interviewed by HBO Boxing after the fight.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko did a great job of using his mobility to attack the 30-year-old Walters to land his pin point shots. Lomachenko threw mostly 1-2 combinations in the first six rounds of the match. In the 7th, Lomachenko started to open up with sustained flurries in putting his punches together.
By Godfrey Falcon: November 2016 has been a great month for boxing, culminating in Nicholas Walters vs. Vasyl Lomachenko last Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. With echoes of the rematch between Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran exactly 36 years ago, Jamaica’s highly esteemed former WBA Featherweight Champion, Nicholas “The Axe Man” Walters (28-1-1) gets comprehensively chopped down by Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko (7-1-0) and called it quits. Cleary from the corner, we could hear Walters telling referee Tony Weeks the same words Duran said that fateful day, “No Mas. No Mas.” Officially winning by TKO after the 7th Round, Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and current WBO Jr. Lightweight Champion, effectively vindicates his proponents, and proved his nay-sayers painfully wrong.
Walters, previously an undefeated power-puncher with incredibly long reach, was best known for his destruction of former Fighter of the Year Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (37-4), a fight that shook up the boxing world. After moving up to Jr. Lightweight and still proving he had the power to make his opponents honest, the bout between he and the Ukrainian native was hyped to be a highly competitive match between the best and the best.
By Jim Dower: WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) outclassed former featherweight world champion Nicholas Walters (26-1-1, 21 KOs) in out-landing him two to one in punches in winning by a 7th round technical knockout at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Walters gave it his best shot, but he took too many punches in the 7th and was hurt. Walters realized he was hurt at the end of the round. He wisely chose not to come out for the 8th. The boxing fans at the small Cosmopolitan Arena weren’t happy that Walters, 30, didn’t want to continue, but they weren’t the ones that were getting hit.
Walters obviously understood that he didn’t have a good enough chance to win the fight, so he bowed out after the 7th.
By Eric Baldwin: WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) retained his title with a 7th round TKO victory over previously unbeaten former WBA World featherweight champion Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters (26-1-1, 21 KOs) on Saturday night on HBO Championship Boxing from the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 30-year-old Walters surprisingly quit after the 7th round had ended. It’s unclear why Walters quit on his stool other than the fact that he was getting a boxing lesson by the 2-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko. The fight was close in the first three rounds, but Lomachenko turned up his foot and hand-speed starting in the 4th, and the fight quickly got out of hand with Walters taking punishment.
By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Abel Sanchez is quite confident that his fighter IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is going to make easy work in knocking out Golden Boy Promotions star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in September next year. Sanchez feels there’s no question in his mind that Golovkin is going to obliterate the 26-year-old Canelo when he gets him inside the ring next year.
Before the fight can happen though, Golovkin will be fighting in March possibly against Daniel Jacobs. That match has been ordered by the World Boxing Association. That doesn’t mean it will take place. Sanchez says if the fight fails to happen, then Golovkin will fight somebody else.
By Chris Williams: Vasyl Lomachenko will be defending his WBO super featherweight title tonight in an all-Top Rank Promotions fight against the powerful Nicholas Walters on HBO Championship Boxing at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With all the talking that Lomachenko’s promoter Bob Arum has been doing about him in the lead up to tonight’s fight, you would think that he’ll be able to breeze past the 30-year-old Walters without any problems whatsoever. Unfortunately, if things don’t work out well for the 28-year-old Lomachenko, then Arum could be crying big crocodile tears with his would be star exposed – again.
By Chris Williams: WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs) weighed in successfully at 130 pounds on Friday for his fight former WBA World featherweight champion Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) on Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. Walters weighed in at 129.5lbs.
Their fight will be televised on HBO World Championship Boxing on Saturday. Walters will likely rehydrate a great deal by the time he steps foot inside the ring on Saturday night. In his fight against Miguel Marriaga last year, Walters rehydrated to 145lbs. That’s quite a bit of weight for a fight that previously held the WBA featherweight title.
By Chris Williams: WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs) could put himself in the driver’s seat for a fight against Manny Pacquiao for 2017 if he defeats Nicholas Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) this Saturday night in their fight on HBO. The Lomachenko-Pacquiao fight is one that their promoter Bob Arum wants, but Lomachenko needs to do his part by getting past a very tough Walters.
Lomachenko, 28, is considered a huge favorite to beat Walters, but doesn’t mean anything. Walters is unbeaten, he has the size and punching power advantages, and his goal is to knockout Lomachenko on Saturday to push his own career ahead.
By Chris Williams: WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs) could be suffering his first knockout defeat of his career this Saturday when he faces former WBA 126lb champion Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs) on HBO Boxing at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Walters is predicting a knockout win over Lomachenko. He’s not saying which round he’ll be knocking out the two-time Olympic gold medalist, but he definitely is picking himself to win by a KO.
Walters doesn’t care that his promoter Bob Arum has been looking past this fight on Saturday by taking up a potential fight between Lomachenko and Manny Pacquiao in 2017. All Walter knows is that he’s going to be the one winning the fight on Saturday.
