Pound-for-pound star Vasyl Lomachenko insists he only wants to face the biggest names in order to cement his place in boxing history.
The reigning WBO super-featherweight world champion takes on Colombian big-hitter Miguel Marriaga this Saturday night from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, exclusively live on BoxNation.
He will be looking to impress against the experienced Marriaga, who has never been stopped in 27 fights, before eventually turning his attention to any elite fighters in the 130-pound division, as he looks to leave his mark in the sport.
“The biggest thing for me is I want to fight top, top fighters in the weight class that I am now fighting in. That is my biggest goal. Then maybe it is different weight classes,” said Lomachenko.
“I want to be in the history books of boxing – I want my name to be mentioned when people talk about the history of boxing. “Most important for me is to fight the best – where the fight means something – fans want it – people want to see it. I want to be on top of the list,” he said.
Following his unanimous points win over Adrien Broner last weekend, undefeated and three-weight world champion Mikey Garcia has been touted as a potential blockbuster opponent but the Ukrainian was left unimpressed at what he saw.
“His trainer Robert Garcia mentioned that Mikey is an A-Class fighter. I hadn’t seen anything during that bout that showed me he was an outstanding fighter.
“Yes, he won the fight. Yes, he did everything he needed to win the fight, but I haven’t seen anything outstanding and I haven’t seen him being an A-Class fighter,” said Lomachenko.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was hoping to rematch Orlando Salido, a split decision loss in only his second fight as a professional when he challenged for the WBO featherweight title, before talks collapsed and Marriaga was chosen as an opponent.
30-year-old Marriaga has 21 knockouts in his 25 wins, with his only two defeats being on points to top fighters Oscar Valdez and Nicholas Walters.
Lomachenko is well aware of the threat he possesses and is not overlooking the man known as ‘The Scorpion’.
“I did see his bout against Oscar Valdez and what can I tell about him? He is strong and his conditioning is good. He has skills, so what everybody else thinks is going to be easy, I don’t think it is going to be easy for me,” he said.
The card also sees Raymundo Beltran back in action when he faces Bryan Vasquez in a lightweight contest.
Lomachenko v Marriaga is live on BoxNation this Saturday night from 2am. Buy now at boxnation.com.
###
Pound-for-pound contender Vasyl Lomachenko will defend his WBO super-featherweight world title exclusively live on BoxNation against Miguel Marriaga on August 5th.
The two-division world champion and one of boxing’s hottest talents will take on top-10 rated Marriaga from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Following his ninth-round stoppage of former WBA super-featherweight world champion Jason Sosa in April, Lomachenko will be looking to impress once again against the big-punching Marriaga.
The Colombian has knocked out 21 opponents in his 25 wins, with his only two defeats coming in world title challenges against the highly-touted Oscar Valdez and the tough Nicholas Walters.
Taking on Ukraine’s Lomachenko he faces a two-time Olympic gold medalist, with a decorated amateur background, who has transformed that pedigree into the elite ranks as a professional.
Known for his exceptional footwork, timing and speed, the 29-year-old won his first world title in just three fights before adding his current WBO strap to the list in 2016 when he knocked out Puerto Rican ace Roman Martinez in five rounds.
That win was quickly followed by one of his most impressive to date when he totally dominated the much-feared and previously undefeated ‘Axe Man’ Walters, forcing him to quit on his stool after the seventh round.
30-year-old Marriaga will be looking to derail Lomachenko’s future plans by upsetting him next month, in a bout that can only be seen live on ‘The Channel of Champions’ as part of BoxNation’s exclusive output deal with promoters Top Rank.
“We are delighted to once again showcase the extraordinary talent that is Vasyl Lomachenko,” said Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director. “He is without doubt one of the best pound-for-pound talents in the world and we are pleased to be able to broadcast his fight with Miguel Marriaga exclusively live in the UK and Ireland on BoxNation. There are very few fighters in the world with his skill set but in Marriaga he takes on a knockout artist who will not back down. It’s an intriguing world title matchup and one BoxNation subscribers can look forward to watching exclusively live next month.”
BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.
