Vasyl Lomachenko earned himself a rare comparison to Muhammad Ali following his flawless performance this weekend.
And the two-time Olympic gold medallist showcased almost every single weapon in his arsenal when he dominated opponent Miguel Marriaga under the lights at the Microsoft Theatre in California on Saturday night.
For the third bout running, Lomachenko put on such a beatdown that his opponent retired in between rounds after a tireless onslaught in the first half of the fight.
Marriaga simply had no answer for the creative output of the Ukrainian, who retained his WBO junior lightweight title when Marriaga didn't answer the bell before the eighth round.
Lomachenko, who racked up a quite remarkable amateur record of 396-1, made it 9-1 as a professional and backed up the hype from those who believe he is one of the most exciting fighters walking the planet.
https://twitter.com/temposkillz/status/894086209768742912
"This fight looked like a sparring session," Lomachenko said after the fight, via
Yahoo! Sports. "It looked like work on the bag. I’m sorry to Marriaga for saying that, but that’s how it was."
The below was the final shot of the night and while Marriaga smiled through the knockdown and insisted he was fit to continue, he changed his mind on the stool and decided against returning to action against 'Hi-Tech.'
https://twitter.com/DavidLCarrion/status/894067031523422209
As if there was ever any doubt that Lomachenko belongs among the world's pound-for-pound best, even if he did only turn pro less than four years ago, he cemented his status on Saturday night.
And it's safe to say that promoter Bob Arum is happy with 29-year-old's progress.
"He’s the most unique guy around, and I said it before, but he’s a throwback to Ali," Arum said of Lomachenko. "Not only does he have the knowledge, but he has the skillset that I have never seen before. He’s got the fast reflexes, the defence, everything."
