Vasily Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) will be reloading this Saturday night in his 12 round fight against lightweight contender Masayoshi Nakatani (19-1, 10 KOs) in their main event fight on ESPN+.
Lomachenko is using this fight against the 32-year-old Nakatani to reload his career and prepare to fight for another world title.
The former three-division world champion Lomachenko, 33, lost his last fight on October 17th against the popular Teofimo Lopez on ESPN PPV, and he believes that he deserved a draw.
Lomachenko has watched the fight many times, and he sees it as a draw. A lot of boxing fans agree with Loma. The fight did appear to be a draw with Lomahchenko getting the better of Teofimo in 5 of the last 6 rounds of the contest.
Since Teofimo (16-0, 12 KOs) is unwilling to fight Lomachenko again, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine wants to beat Nakatani in a more impressive style than Teo to show that he’s better than him.
Ideally, it would be better if Teoimo gave Lomachenko a rematch, but he’s content with his victory and doesn’t want to fight him again.
Lomachenko fighting Nakatani for comparison purposes
“My opinion of this fight after watching it many times, it was a draw,” said Lomachenko to ESPN about his loss to Teofimo Lopez last October.
“Because it’s the best choice for me. I want to compare myself with this guy because he fought with Teofimo,” said Lomachenko on his rationale for choosing to fight Nakatani. “Of course, and he’s a very tough guy, he’s a very tough opponent for me,” Lomachenko said.
Even if Lomachenko destroys Nakatani in the first round, it’s not likely to convince Teofimo to give him a rematch. Teofimo has two fights left at 135 against George Kambosos Jr and likely Devin Haney.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum would like to see Teofimo take on Lomachenko in a rematch because it’s a fight that would all on ESPN PPV. But Teofimo has to agree to it, and thus far, he doesn’t want to fight him.
“I want to show my best, and do my best,” said Lomachenko when asked what he wants to do with the remainder of his career. “Now, I reload myself and prepare for the next level,” said Lomachenko.
Choosing Nakatani is a questionable move because it’s a tough fight for Lomacheno. If he’s not at his best, he could lose.
