Vasyl Lomachenko and Garry Russell Jr. battle it out for the vacant WBO featherweight title

06/19/2014 Ivan Ivanov

(Picture credit: Hogan Photos) The championship fight will take place on Saturday night at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California (Showtime) and this will be Lomachenko’s second attempt at this trophy. He dropped a highly controversial decision last time out to the overweight veteran Orlando Salido who lost the title on the scales but was somehow fouled his way to an SD.

Garry Russel Jr. and Lomachenko are both slick southpaws who boxed all their lives. Both are trained by their fathers and both train in their fathers’ gyms. They bring a lot of boxing experience and expertise and the bout should be a feast for casual fans and pundits alike. Southpaws are awkward for everyone including for each other because the fight another southpaw as rarely as anyone and they are fine-tuned to fight orthodox opponents.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Lomachenko/Salido, Chavez vs GGG, and Angulo/Canelo

03/04/2014 Vivek Wallace

Craig B. (Tampa, FL): I was very surprised to see Lomachenko lose to Salido the way he did. I noticed that you predicted Salido to win. What did you see to make you predict that way? And what are your thoughts on Lomachenko’s future?

Vivek W. (ESB): My decision to chose Salido over Lomachenko in my FaceBook prediction had a lot to do with precisely what we saw play out.

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Lomachenko suffers a rude awakening in his WBO featherweight title bid against Salido

03/02/2014 Ivan Ivanov

After a confident debut in a 10 round fight, Vasyl Lomachenko attempted to make history by fighting for a title in his second fight. The fight turned out to be for a vacant title because Orlando Salido forfeited it on the scales by weighting in at 128.25 lbs. Salido did not even try to lose the extra 2.25 pounds and opted to pay the $15 000 fine rather than drain himself further. He was busy re-hydrating instead and came in at 147 pounds. Lomachenko and company were fooled from the start.

The Ukranian showed up in excellent condition and started the fight with confidence trying to work from long range. He used a lot of movement and footwork but found out his sharp shots had little effect on his rough and tough Mexican opponent. Salido kept his head low and walked through his rival’s pot shots to close in and rough him up at close range using his weight advantage.

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Chavez makes weight, Salido doesn’t

02/28/201402/28/2014 Joseph Herron

From the concourse in front of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Julio Cesar Chavez Junior dodged the first bullet from the proverbial gun of his detractors by comfortably making the contracted Super Middleweight limit of 168 pounds.

Both Chavez and Vera weighed in at approximately 167.5 pounds, with both men looking strong and having more than enough time to replenish and rehydrate, due to the unusually early 2PM EST weigh in time. After the former WBC Middleweight title holder successfully made weight, Junior held a giant replica of a voided cashiers check made out to Bryan Vera to the sum of $250,000.00.

Chavez Junior had very little to say after the official weigh in concluded.

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Salido vs. Lomachenko: “Boxing 411″ analysis and video presentation

02/27/201402/26/2014 Joseph Herron

Radio show host and ring announcer Joseph Herron joins talented, young trainer Rick Morones Jr. in this comprehensive video analysis of “Salido vs. Lomachenko”, as they break down the upcoming Top Rank, Inc. special event.

This Saturday night, March 1st, from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, WBO Featherweight Champion Orlando Salido (40-12-2, 28 KOs) will defend his title against two time Olympic Gold Medal winner Vasyl Lomachenko (1-0, 1 KOs).

In this very historic bout, the highly decorated and much younger fighter will be competing for a major world title in only his second professional outing against the hard nosed veteran and proven three time world champion.

After dominating and stopping rugged Featherweight contender Jose Ramirez in his pro debut, which took place on the undercard of the Top Rank PPV event, “Marquez vs. Bradley”, the Ukrainian born technician controversially put himself in line for the highly anticipated showdown with the Mexican born title holder.

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Photos: Vasyl Lomachenko Ready to Make History

02/13/201402/12/2014 Top Rank

Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and 2013 Prospect of the Year VASYL LOMACHENKO (1-0, 1 KO), is in a hurry to make his mark, and in only his second professional fight, he will be challenging three-time world featherweight champion ORLANDO “Siri” SALIDO for Salido’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title. The Salido-Lomachenko world championship fight will be televised live from the Alamodome, Saturday, March 1, on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will also feature the eagerly-anticipated 12-round rematch between former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR. and Top-Five contender and two-fisted Texan BRYAN VERA.

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Salido Has a Message for Lomachenko

02/13/201402/12/2014 Top Rank

For three-time world featherweight champion ORLANDO “Siri” SALIDO boxing has been about perseverance and overcoming the odds, and in 17 days his mettle will be tested once more as he puts his world title on the line against two-time Olympic gold medalist, VASYL LOMACHENKO (1-0, 1 KO), considered by many to be the best amateur boxer in the history of the sport. The Salido-Lomachenko WBO featherweight championship fight will be televised live from the Alamodome on Saturday, March 1, on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will also feature the eagerly-anticipated 12-round rematch between former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR. and Top-Five contender and two-fisted Texan BRYAN VERA.

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Left-Hook Lounge: Bradley vs Marquez, Lomachenko, & Bradley’s Next Move!!!

10/14/2013 Vivek Wallace

Mario H. (Tampa, FL): There was a lot of discussion in the aftermath of Bradley/Marquez about Marquez being “robbed again”. How did you score the fight? And how did you rate the performance of both men?

Vivek W. (ESB): Personally, I had the fight scored 7 rounds to 5 in favor of Bradley. In all fairness, there were several rounds that were very tight that could have gone either way. Typically, we see the Champion get the nod in those rounds. My opinion on whether or not that should be a standard practice is irrelevant, as it has been that way for years, and my position won’t change it. Bearing that in mind, I think what we saw in the final analysis was in fact a product of that mentality.

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Double Olympic Champion Vasyl Lomachenko Turns Pro at 25 years of age

08/27/201308/27/2013 Ivan Ivanov

Vasyl Lomachenko will fight Jonathan Oquendo in a 10 round featherweight bout on the undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas on October 12. If you are wondering why a newcomer is rushed into a 10 round fight on his debut instead of a four or a six rounder, it’s because of his outstanding amateur pedigree and unique skill set.

Lomachenko is a double Olympic champion, a double World champion and he boasts a record of 396-1 in the amateur ranks. He brings over 1000 quality rounds of experience and this is something money can’t buy. His style is a complete package and you have to see him in action to appreciate a power plant of skill and athleticism. To make things even bleaker for his opponents, he is also a southpaw with power in both hands.

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2-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Lomachenko to Make Pro Debut

08/21/201308/21/2013 Top Rank

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (August 21, 2013) — Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist VASYL “The Great” LOMACHENKO will jump into the deep end of boxing’s international-sized swimming pool when he makes his professional debut in a 10-round featherweight bout against Jonathan Oquendo (23-3, 16 KOs), of Puerto Rico. Lomachenko’s pro debut will be showcased on the pay-per-view undercard of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship between undefeated defending champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY, JR. and four-division world champion and Méxican icon JUAN MANUEL “Dinamita” MÁRQUEZ, the only two fighters to defeat Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao in the last seven years.

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