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Orlando Cruz 129 vs Romulo Koashica 126

By Jake Donovan, photos/weights by Reynaldo ‘El Papi Chulo’ Sanchez –

Orlando Cruz’ ring return comes one week later than originally targeted. The veteran boxer from Puerto Rico will face Mexico’s Romulo Koasicha in a 10-round super featherweight battle headlining the March 4 edition of Boxeo Telemundo, live from A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida.

The matchup pits former featherweight title challengers in a crossroads bout, with Cruz’ regional super featherweight title at stake.

“We are very proud to present this fight,” promoter Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jr. told BoxingScene.com. “Both boxers still very much want to win a world title. They could have taken a much easier path, but want to prove they still belong in contention for a world title in agreeing to this terrific battle.”

Cruz (22-4-1, 11KOs) was targeted to headline the first installment of the Telemundo spring boxing season. The timing couldn’t be worked out for the February 26 show, which is now topped by Ricardo Rodriguez in a 10-round super flyweight clash versus Miguel Cartagena in Palm Bay, Florida.

Instead, Cruz will now appear in the Tampa region for the first time in his 15-plus year career, having previously developed as a sizeable draw in the Orlando/Kissimmee region.

Cruz has won two straight since suffering back-to-back losses in a brief stretch that was believed to end his days at the top level. His aspirations of becoming the third member from the 2000 Puerto Rico Olympic boxing team to win a major belt (future Hall of Fame former champs Miguel Cotto and Ivan Calderon are the other two) were dashed in an 8th round knockout loss to Orlando Salido in their Oct. ’13 featherweight title fight.

The loss wasn’t quite as crushing as a shocking 10-round defeat at the hands of Gamalier Rodriguez in their April ’14 clash. Cruz decided to sit out for more than a year before returning last June, having since won two straight including a unanimous decision over Gabino Cota in their Telemundo-televised headliner last October in Kissimmee.

Further disheartening in his loss to Rodriguez was the fact that a victory would have led to a second title shot. Instead, Rodriguez went on to face reigning featherweight titlist Vasyl Lomachenko, suffering a one-sided 9th round stoppage on the undercard of the most-watched Pay-Per-View event in boxing history, topped by Floyd Mayweather’s points win over Manny Pacquiao.

Lomachenko’s next victim didn’t fare any better, as Koasicha (25-5, 15KOs) was brought crashing back to Earth following a 10th round stoppage in their HBO-televised title fight last November.

The loss was preceded by a four-fight win streak for the 24-year old from San Luis Postol, Mexico. His most recent victory came on Telemundo, scoring a 7th round stoppage of Guillermo Avila last July.

In facing Cruz next month, Koasicha makes his debut in the super featherweight division. Cruz made the leap up in weight upon his ring return last June after having spent the majority of his career campaigning in the featherweight division.

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http://www.boxingscene.com/photosweights-orlando-cruz-vs-romulo-koasicha–102011?print_friendly=1

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Recent world title challenger Romulo Koasicha (25-5, 15 KOs) of Mexico challenges NABO junior lightweight champion and former world title challenger Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz (22-4-1, 11 KOs) from Puerto Rico. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds and will be aired on “Boxeo TELEMUNDO Ford.” The site of the fight will be the A La Carte Pavillion in Tampa, Florida.

Koasicha debu’ed on Telemundo last July where he defeated Guillermo “El Borrego” Avila. The victory positioned him for a showdown with WBO featherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko this past September. Koasicha was unsuccessful in his challenge but feels he will only get better from the experience. He plans to show this versus Cruz tonight. 

When you last spoke with Fightnews.com®, you were getting ready for your Telemundo debut last July. How surprised were you that you landed a world title fight your very next fight?

I was totally surprised. Some fighters never get an opportunity to fight for a world title. I trained hard and I did the very best I could.

What did you take from the opportunity even though you were not victorious?

It was all positive for me. I also gained some very valuable experience against a very elite fighter. I am confident it will help me alot in my fight tonight.

How familiar are you with Orlando Cruz?

He is a very good fighter. I have a lot of respect for him. I will definitely have to be at my absolute best to defeat him and I have trained this way accordingly.

Do you expect any trouble with the Cruz’ southpaw style?

I have fought southpaws but Cruz has a very unique style. I have had alot of southpaw sparring for this fight. Keep in mind my last fight was a with a southpaw in Lomachenko. It doesn’t get more complicated than that.

You have fought your career at 126 for the most part even though this fight is at 130. Is the plan to stay at this weight class? 

126 is my best weight. I wanted to take this fight for the opportunity and for the activity. The plan is for me to return to 126 after this fight but for a real good opportunity I can fight at 130 with no problem.

What kind of fight should the fans expect tonight?

Two determined fighters wanting to get back to the world title fight. The fact that it’s a Mexican fighter vs a Puerto Rican sets the expectations that much bigger.

http: //www.fightnews.com/Boxing/confident-koasicha-vs-cruz-on-telemundo-tonight-327579#more-327579

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Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cruz 128 vs. Romulo Koasicha 127
Sammy “Hurricane” Valentin 146 vs. Cosme “Chino” Rivera 147
Omar Albanil 153 vs. Juan Fernando Raya 156
Santiago Arroyo 118 vs. Luis Villegas 116
Christina Swanson 146 vs. Chennose Casseus 149
Mark Reyes 146 vs. Harrison Melendez 149
Jose “The Dream” Medina 265 vs. Richard White 344

Venue: A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa, Florida
Promoter: All Star Boxing/Shea Bailey Promotions
TV: Telemundo

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Vasyl Lomachenko outclassed Romulo Koasicha in Las Vegas and immediately called for bigger and better nights.

The Ukrainian superstar controlled the fight from the start ahead of Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios’ showdown at the Thomas & Mach Center, parading his undoubted talent in regular and fluent bursts before finishing it off in the 10th rounds.

A succession of unanswered punches saw Koasicha in trouble before a left to the stomach, followed by a brutal one to the ribs, left him on his knees and unable to beat the count.

Lomachenko (5-1-KO3) kept the WBO featherweight title that he picked up on his second professional fight in 2013 but the Seoul Olympic gold medallist is already looking to show his skills on bigger stages.

“I want to bring something new to boxing,” Lomachenko said.

“I want to be known to fans and appreciated as a ‘boxer-painter’ in regards to speed, footwork, punching power – an art form inside the ring.

“I have looked at videos of many great champions like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Frazier who each had special qualities.

“I never say one particular fighter is the best ever because each has a special unique style of fighting.”

Promoter Bob Arum hinted at a showdown with Guillermo Rigondeaux, who has been stripped of both his super-bantamweight world titles and is now up in the lightweight division with Lomachenko.

Another former 122lb champion, Leo Santa Cruz, has also moved up while there is still talk of Lomachenko giving Gary Russell Jr a rematch, having beaten the American ace in March 2013 to become a record-breaking world champion.

http://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12040/10061030/vasyl-lomachenko-stopped-romulo-koasicha-to-remain-wbo-lightweight-world-champion

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Two-division world champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. and former world champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, both who have fought in Fights of the Year in 2013 and 2012, respectively, will step on the scale for the official weigh-in today in the Margaux Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas (3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV. 89109). The fighters will step on the scale beginning at 3:00 p.m. PT. Fans are invited to attend!

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs), of Odessa, Ukraine, his opponent, #7 world-rated contender Romulo Koasicha (24-4, 14 KOs), of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and 2012 Olympic gold medalist and undefeated #5 world-rated middleweight contender Ryota Murata (7-0, 5 KOs), from Tokyo, in his U.S. debut, are in the featured undercard bouts.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/todays-bradley-rios-weigh-in-open-to-the-public-312338

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  ---  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.  makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Photos: Chris Farina/Top Rank –

WBO Welterweight Champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr., former world champion Brandon Rios made their grand arrivals for their upcoming world title fight on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.

Also arriving was two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko, who is defending his WBO featherweight world title against Top-10 world-rated contender Romulo Koasicha of Mexico to open the HBO telecast.

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  ---  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.  makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada . — WBO Welterweight Champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.
— Photo Credit : Chris Farina – Top Rank 

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  ---  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.  makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  ---  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.  makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  ---  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.  makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  --- Former world champion Brandon Rios makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title fight against  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr. , Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada . — Former world champion Brandon Rios makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title fight against WBO Welterweight Champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. , Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.
— Photo Credit : Chris Farina – Top Rank 

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  --- Former world champion Brandon Rios makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title fight against  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr. , Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  --- Former world champion Brandon Rios makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title fight against  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr. , Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  ---  WBO Welterweight Champion  Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.  makes his grand arrival for his upcoming title defense against former world champion Brandon Rios, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  --- Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist VASYL LOMACHENKO makes his grand arrival for his upcoming world title defense.  LOMACHENKO, defending his WBO featherweight world title against Top-10 world-rated contender ROMULO KOASICHA of Mexico,  will open the HBO telecast featuring the Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr. vs Brandon Rios WBO Welterweight world championship fight, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada . — Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist VASYL LOMACHENKO makes his grand arrival for his upcoming world title defense. LOMACHENKO, defending his WBO featherweight world title against Top-10 world-rated contender ROMULO KOASICHA of Mexico, will open the HBO telecast featuring the Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr. vs Brandon Rios WBO Welterweight world championship fight, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
— Photo Credit : Chris Farina – Top Rank

Nov 4 , 2015, Las Vegas,Nevada .  --- Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist VASYL LOMACHENKO makes his grand arrival for his upcoming world title defense.  LOMACHENKO, defending his WBO featherweight world title against Top-10 world-rated contender ROMULO KOASICHA of Mexico,  will open the HBO telecast featuring the Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr. vs Brandon Rios WBO Welterweight world championship fight, Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.  --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2015

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/bradley-rios-lomachenko-grand-arrivals-312256#more-312256

 

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Photos: Chris Farina / Top Rank

Two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs) kicked off Fight Week today with a training camp media workout at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, Calif. Lomachenko will defend his title on Saturday night against WBO #7 world-rated contender Romulo Koasicha (24-4,14 KOs), of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Here is what Lomachenko and his manager Egis Klimas had to say:

Vasyl Lomachenko: “I want to bring something new to boxing. I want to be known to fans and appreciated as a ‘boxer-painter’ in regards to speed, footwork, punching power — an art form inside the ring. I have looked at videos of many great champions like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Frazier who each had special qualities. I never say one particular fighter is the best ever because each has a special unique style of fighting. Every fight has challenges. I looked at some video of my opponent who fought Lee Selby. In the middle of that fight, my opponent did a transition and fought with a different type of style against Selby. These are the situations you must deal with on the night of a fight.

“Who would I like to fight some day? Getting Salido back into the ring would be something I would like to see.” Lomachenko, suffered his only loss to Salido via split decision in his second pro fight after Salido came in overweight.

Egis Klimas: “We have not seen the best of Vasyl Lomachenko, maybe something like 40 percent of what we are going to see. He pushes himself 120 percent. He likes to spar 15 rounds daily against four different opponents. No one trains harder. He proved he was the best amateur boxer and he will prove that he is the best professional fighter.”

Lomachenko vs. Koasicha will be the co-main event to the 12-round welterweight rumble between two-division world champion TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY JR., (32-1-1, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., in his second reign as World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion, and former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS (33-2-1, 23 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif. Bradley and Rios fought in Fights of the Year in 2013 and 2012, respectively.

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http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/lomachenko-getting-salido-back-into-the-ring-would-be-something-i-would-like-to-see-312147

Sept. 25, 2014, Oxnard,Ca.  ---  WBO World Featherweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko works out in Oxnard,Ca. for his upcoming title fight against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo of Thailand.     Promoted by Top Rank® and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions, Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing, Banner Promotions and Tecate, Lomachenko fights on the undercard of the Pacquiao vs. Algieri world welterweight championship event will take place Saturday, November 22, at the Cotai Arena in The Venetian Macao Resort in Macau,China. It will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank (no other credit allowed) copyright 2014

Photo Credit : Chris Farina – Top Rank (no other credit allowed) 

Now it’s time to shine the spotlight on two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs), who defends his title on the same card. Lomachenko faces WBO #7 world-rated contender Romulo Koasicha (24-4,14 KOs), of Mexico, which will open the HBO telecast.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/lomachenko-workout-monday-in-oxnard-ca-312085