LAS VEGAS (September 8, 2020) — Four belts, one champion. A universally recognized lightweight king will be crowned Saturday, Oct. 17, live on ESPN from MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Unified WBO Lightweight Champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound “Boxing Baryshnikov” from Ukraine, will fight unbeaten IBF world champion Teofimo Lopez, the knockout artist from Brooklyn who has lobbed verbal haymakers at Lomachenko for more than two years. The two will fight from the MGM Grand Conference Center aka the “Las Vegas Bubble.”

Promoted by Top Rank, Lomachenko-Lopez (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET) headlines a can’t-miss month of boxing on the ESPN family of networks, which also includes the long-awaited return of Japanese pound-for-pound superstar Naoya “Monster” Inoue, who will defend his WBA and IBF bantamweight world titles on Halloween evening, Saturday, Oct. 31, against Australian contender Jason “Mayhem” Moloney.

“Lomachenko-Lopez is the best fight that can be made in boxing, and we are delighted that it will be available to fans for no extra charge live on ESPN,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Teofimo and Vasiliy demanded the fight, and we are glad we could make it happen. Vasiliy has never backed down from a challenge since he turned pro under the Top Rank banner, and Teofimo is a fearless young champion daring to be great. This has all the makings of a modern boxing classic.”

Lomachenko said, “Teofimo Lopez can talk all he wants. He’s very good at talking. He has done nothing but say my name for the past two years. I am a fighter, and my goal is to win another world title. Good for Teofimo. When we fight in Las Vegas, he will eat my punches and his words. I will be the better man, and four world titles will come home with me to Ukraine.”

Egis Klimas, Lomachenko’s manager, stated, “Nobody has seen Lomachenko at 100 percent inside the ring. If Teofimo can push Loma to at least 80 percent, it means Teofimo is the best opponent Loma has faced.”

Lopez said, “I will beat up Lomachenko and take his belts. Simple as that. I’m coming to Las Vegas to make history. I don’t like the guy, and I’m going to have fun as Lomachenko’s face is beaten and marked up by my hands. The Takeover is here, and the reign of Lomachenko, the little diva, is coming to an end.”

Added Matt Kenny, Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN: “Boxing has long been part of the fabric of our company and we could not be more excited for the October schedule on ESPN platforms, which includes the highly anticipated lightweight title bout between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez on October 17. Top Rank was one of the very first organizations to safely stage live events during the pandemic and as the calendar turns to fall, ESPN will be home to fights that will excite boxing enthusiasts and capture the attention of casual fans.”

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) enters this bout coming off a scintillating decision win over British star Luke Campbell last August in front of a sold-out O2 Arena in London. A two-time Olympic gold medalist who went 396-1 in the amateur ranks, Lomachenko tied a boxing record by winning a world title in his third pro fight. He is a former featherweight and junior lightweight world champion who won the lightweight crown in May 2018 with a body shot knockout over Jorge Linares. In seven years as a pro, Lomachenko is 13-1 with 9 knockouts in world title fights and is ranked by many pundits as this generation’s most accomplished pugilist. From 2016-2017, he made four consecutive fighters quit on their stools, earning him the “No-Mas-chenko” moniker.

Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs), the brash Brooklynite who initially gained attention because of his post-fight “Fortnite” dances and backflip celebrations, soon emerged as boxing’s most charismatic young superstar following his 2016 pro debut. He was the consensus 2018 Prospect of the Year, a campaign punctuated by a one-punch, first-round knockout over Mason Menard on the Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza undercard. Following the Menard knockout, he donned the jersey of Kyler Murray, who’d won the Heisman Trophy earlier that evening. Lopez climbed the rankings in 2019 with wins over Diego Magdaleno, Edis Tatli and Masayoshi Nakatani.

Last December, Lopez knocked out Richard Commey in two rounds to win the IBF world title. Sitting ringside was Lomachenko, who entered the ring during the post-fight pandemonium. Arum waved him over to take a photo with the newly crowned champion. The stage had been set. #LomaLopez was going to happen.

The lightweight unification battle is only the tip of the Top Rank on ESPN boxing iceberg. Here’s what else is in store in October.

Friday, October 9
Emanuel Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs) vs. Ruben Villa (18-0, 5 KOs)
MGM Grand Las Vegas
12 Rounds, Vacant WBO Featherweight World Title
ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

After five defenses of his WBO junior featherweight world title, Navarrete is ready to conquer the featherweight division. The “Mexican Iron Man” and boxing’s most active world champion, Navarrete fought six world title bouts in just over 14 months (December 2018 to February 2020). He last fought a non-title bout against Uriel Lopez on June 20 in Mexico City, scoring a sixth-round TKO. The WBO No. 1 featherweight contender, Navarrete has won 27 consecutive bouts, including 14 of his last 15 by stoppage. Villa, from Salinas, Calif., has defeated contenders Alexei Collado, Jose Enrique Vivas and Luis Alberto Lopez in his last three bouts to earn the world title shot.

Friday, October 23
Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) vs. Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs)
Moscow
12 Rounds, Beterbiev’s WBC/IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles
ESPN & ESPN Deportes, 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
Undercard: ESPN+, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT

In the ESPN-televised co-feature, a WBO light heavyweight world title eliminator, No. 1-ranked contender Umar Salamov will face No. 2-ranked contender Maxim Vlasov, with the winner expected to fight Joe Smith Jr. for the vacant world title. Both Salamov and Vlasov recently signed promotional contracts with Top Rank.

Photos by M. Williams / Top Rank

The tentative date for one of boxing’s biggest fights is on the move.

The lightweight unification title fight between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez Jr. might now take place on Oct. 3 in Las Vegas, Top Rank president Todd duBoef confirmed to ESPN’s Steve Kim on Wednesday night.

Recently, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum suggested Sept. 19 as a potential date for the fight, after a spring date was moved because of the coronavirus pandemic. DuBoef said “it’s still too early to determine everything” regarding the bout and that he is uncertain as to whether it will be closed to the public.

More on: https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/29432028/october-date-eyed-vasiliy-lomachenkoteofimo-lopez-jr-unification-bout

Bob Arum revealed this week that Unified WBO Lightweight Champion Vasiliy Lomachenko will be traveling to the United States on June 15 for his September unification fight against IBF champion Teofimo López.

Arum will be staging the Lomachenko vs. Teofimo fight in front of a small crowd of 2,500 spaced out in a large arena in September. It isn’t ideal for such a massive fight like this to take place in front of a small crowd, but there’s not much else they can do.

Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) and Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) were scheduled previously to meet at the end of May in New York, but the pandemic upset those plans.

Teofimo, 22, is looking huge right now and is said to be in the mid-150s. This week, Teofimo was lifting weights, and looking like a short junior middleweight. The weight cut or Teoimo is going to be difficult, as he’s going to need to lose approximately 20 pounds to make the 135-pound limit.

It’s doable for Teofimo because he’s young, and can probably get away with it. With that said, you can bet that Lomachenko will be attempting to drag Lopez into the later rounds to take advantage of his weight loss.

Lopez’s weight issues could work for Lomachenko, but maybe not. Younger fighters can cut enormous amounts of weight without it hurting them, which is why they have an advantage over the older guys. If Teofimo isn’t weight drained for this fight, Lomachenko could be in for a world of hurt.

A guy has never hit Lomachenko with the kind of size and power that Teofimo has. For Lomachenko to beat Teofimo, he’s going to need to take a lot of heavy blows.

“As far as fighters outside of the United States, there’s a limit to what we can do,” said Arum. “In other words, we don’t fly the planes. I don’t have any influence with this White House, thank God as to lifting travel bans, but where there’s a will there’s a way.

“And I know that Vasiliy Lomachenko, for example, will be coming to the United States sometime in June. I don’t know when the Brits can come. I don’t know when the Canadian’s can come. This is ready out of our hands now,” said Arum.

The Fighters Must Find A Way Into The U.S.

“So every fighter that wants to come over and wants to participate in these shows and continue their careers has got to find a way to do that on their own with their advisers,” said Arum. “We’ll facilitate anything we can. But our power is greatly limited,” said Arum.

As you can see, Top Rank isn’t going to be able to help all their fighters make into the United States with their help. So if they want to participate in Top Rank’s cards, they’ll need to find a way to enter the U.S with the help of their managers and advisers.

It would be interesting to know whether Arum helped the 32-year-old Lomachenko with his documentation to get him into the States. The famous fighters are too crucial for Top Rank to leave it up to them without giving them a hand if needed.

If Lomachenko can’t make it into the United States, then that’s a showstopper. It’s good that Lomachenko is coming to the States this week because that’ll give Arum and Top Rank enough time to explore other options if he’s blocked.

In hindsight, it was a mistake for Lomachenko to go back to Ukraine because he was in the U.S not long ago. He probably didn’t realize how much trouble it would be for him to return to the U.S because of the pandemic situation.

Teofimo Lopez Gives The Secret To Cutting Weight
“‘How much do I weigh right now?’ 156. Six pounds to go to where I want to be at,” said Teofimo this week in answering questions on social media. “And then just lose [water weight to get down to 135].

“‘How do you lose that much weight? Is it healthy for your body?’ You’ve got to drink a lot of water. I drink two gallons of water every day. When I’m in camp, I drink a little bit more than two gallons every day. Foodwise, I love to eat. Food is life, but it’s what you eat and the amount of food you eat and your meals and abundance,” said Teofimo Lopez.

“You don’t want to eat a big amount. Everything has to be fist-sized. Usually, I’ll eat five times a day, including two snacks. If you want me to get in detail and all that. Fish is good. Anything with low sodium. Make sure its low sodium. Don’t eat carbs unless you’re trying to build up weight-wise. If you’re trying to lean up with muscle, then you can try and build up with carbs. A lot of conditioning.

“Once I get into camp, that’s when I drop those next 15 pounds [with the help of his trainer],” said Teofimo. “Right now, I’m making their job easier, and they make it easier for me. None of that good food thing you guys like. You’ve got to throw that out the window if you want to lose weight. I’m trying to come back as soon as possible. Pain is a weakness in the mind, baby,” said Teofimo.

By Sean Jones / BoxingNews24.com

Ukrainian boxer Vasyl Lomachenko has been honored with the Lightweight Super Champion belt by the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

“Vasyl Lomachenko [has been] honored with [the] Lightweight Super Champion Belt at @trboxing presser for Loma v. Crolla on @espn,” the WBO wrote on Twitter on April 10, 2019.

The Super Champion title gives Lomachenko the right to claim the WBO belt in any weight category. The owner of such a trophy can also get immediate revenge if he loses in the fight for the championship belt. Lomachenko’s next fight against British boxer Anthony Crolla will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the United States, on April 12, 2019.

Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/society/10512984-ukrainian-boxer-lomachenko-honored-with-lightweight-super-champion-belt.html

Photo by Mikey Williams Top Rank

Top Rank on ESPN to Bring Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Anthony Crolla Lightweight World Title Bout April 12 Exclusively on ESPN+

One of the biggest boxing events of the year will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ on April 12 at 11 p.m. ET from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The reigning WBA/WBO lightweight – and widely regarded pound-for-pound –champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs), is set to defend his unified lightweight world title against mandatory challenger Anthony Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs). The undercard bouts will also stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. All the evening’s fights will be available in Spanish on ESPN+.

Friday’s Top Rank on ESPN card coincides with the one-year anniversary of the launch of ESPN+ – the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service.

Calling the action for ESPN will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst) and former pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Mark Kriegel and Max Kellerman, and the ESPN+ Spanish coverage includes play-by-play from Jorge Eduardo Sánchez and former boxing champion Juan Manuel Márquez as analyst.”

ESPN’s official coverage of fight week kicked off Sunday, April 7, with Countdown to Lomachenko vs. Crolla, where viewers follow rival boxers Vasiliy Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla as they prepare for a must-see world title fight on April 12. See inside the training camp of pound-for-pound superstar Lomachenko as he trains at his home base in Oxnard, Calif., while former world champion Crolla trains to return the WBA title he once held to its rightful owner.

ESPN.com will have the fight covered throughout the week with a feature on Anthony Crolla from Nick Parkinson, a unique look at how the world’s best boxing trainers would prepare their fighters to face Vasiliy Lomachenko from Steve Kim and a complete guide to the fight from Dan Rafael. Rafael and Kim will be at the fight offering their unique insight as the action goes down.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.


Lomachenko-Anthony Crolla and Ramirez-Tommy Karpency headline evening of boxing on ESPN+ beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT

LOS ANGELES (March 11, 2019) — WBO Unified Lightweight World Champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko and WBO super middleweight world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez came to Fortune Gym in Hollywood on Monday for a media workout as they prepare for their respective bouts, April 12 at Staples Center.
 
Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound Picasso, will defend his world titles in the main event against the hard-charging Anthony “Million Dollar’ Crolla, while Ramirez will dip his toe in the light heavyweight waters versus veteran Tommy Karpency in the co-feature.
 
Lomachenko-Crolla and Ramirez-Karpency will stream exclusively April 12 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing USA, tickets priced at $310.50, $207, $103.50, $77.65, and $51.75 (including facility fees) are available now and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.
 
In front of a packed media contingent, this is what they had to say.
 
Vasiliy Lomachenko
 
On his weight
 
Right now, I am a lightweight, but lightweight is not my ideal weight category. My goal now is to unify all four titles, and then, we’ll see. Maybe I’ll move back down to 130 pounds and win world titles there for a second time.
 
On Anthony Crolla as a fighter
 
“I don’t know too much about him. I know him from his two fights with Jorge Linares. I do know he is an aggressive fighter, and I like to fight guys who come forward.”
 
On preparing for Crolla
 
“I prepare like always. We are training hard. I’ve been training for a couple months already and will put on a great performance for my fans in Los Angeles and on ESPN+. I will show everyone my best style and hope everyone enjoys it.”
 
On future opponents
 
“I want to fight the best. But now, Crolla is the best choice. He is the mandatory challenger and wanted to fight me. That is why I accepted this fight.”
 
On whether he thinks he’ll dominate Crolla
 
“I don’t know. I can’t see in the future. It depends how he fights. We’ll see.”
 
On Teofimo Lopez
 
I’m ready for everyone. I need the belts. If you have a belt, you can come in the ring and I’ll fight with you.”
 
Gilberto Ramirez
 
“I made history when I became the first super middleweight champion in the history of Mexican boxing, and now I’m moving up to the 175-pound division to continue making history.”
 
“I want to face the best fighters and clean out the division. I want all the titles. I want to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I’m ready to prove I’m an elite fighter.”

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 25, 2019) — After thrilling Big Apple audiences in his last three bouts, Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko is ready to bring his lightweight world titles to the City of Angels.

Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound Picasso and the WBA and WBO lightweight world champion, will defend his titles against former lightweight world champion Anthony “Million Dollar” Crolla on Friday, April 12 at Staples Center. In the co-feature, longtime WBO super middleweight world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez will make his light heavyweight debut against an opponent to be announced in a 10-rounder.

Lomachenko-Crolla and Ramirez’s fight will stream live and exclusively in the United States beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on ESPN+ —  the direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service, which will mark its one-year anniversary since launching on the day of the fight. The entire undercard will also stream live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing USA, tickets priced at $310.50, $207, $103.50, $77.65, and $51.75 (including facility fees) go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. PT. Lomachenko’s last headlining appearance in Los Angeles came in August 2017 at the Microsoft Theater when he defended his 130-pound world title against Miguel Marriaga via seventh-round TKO.

“Staples Center is the perfect venue to showcase one of boxing’s great fighters, Vasiliy Lomachenko, who will test himself against a top contender in Anthony Crolla of Great Britain,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum.

“Los Angeles boxing fans are passionate and knowledgeable, and I look forward to putting on a spectacular show for them at Staples Center,” Lomachenko said. “Crolla is my mandatory challenger, and I like that he always comes to fight. He’s going to make the most of this opportunity.”

“I cannot wait for this. These are the fights you are in the sport for,” Crolla said. “People will say that I have got nothing to lose, but I am genuinely going over to LA to shock the world. I will concentrate on me. Firstly, I have to make sure the best Anthony Crolla turns up that night. I’m not worried about that. Preparing for Lomachenko is hard because he’s so unorthodox. He’s that good that when he does something wrong he gets away with it. You wouldn’t teach some of the things that he does. He’s so unique in that respect.” 

“I’m delighted that Anthony gets another chance at a world title, this time against pound-for-pound star Vasiliy Lomachenko,” said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport. “After losing his world title to Jorge Linares, Anthony has fought his way back into the mandatory position, and he is more than ready for the challenge. It’s been a fairytale story for him and now he gets another big chance on the big stage in a fight that means everything to him.”

Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) entered the professional ranks following an amateur career that included a pair of Olympic gold medals for his native Ukraine and an unprecedented 396-1 record. He set a boxing record by winning world titles in three weight classes in 12 fights, shattering the previous mark of 20 set by Jeff Fenech 30 years prior. He was named 2017 Fighter of the Year by most boxing outlets after forcing all three of his opponents — Jason Sosa, Marriaga and fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux — to quit on their stools.

In May 2018, he moved up in weight and captured the WBA lightweight title when he rebounded from a torn labrum and a sixth-round knockdown to stop Jorge Linares at Madison Square Garden with a body shot in the 10th round. That December, in front of a sold-out Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden crowd, he scored a pair of knockdowns and won a wide unanimous decision over WBO lightweight champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza to unify titles.

Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs), from Manchester, England, turned pro in October 2006 and won the British lightweight title in 2011. He won the WBA lightweight title with a fifth-round knockout over Darleys Perez in November 2015, knocking Perez out for the count with a vicious left hook to the liver. Crolla defended the belt with an upset seventh-round knockout win against Ismael Barroso, scoring the finishing blow on a right hand to the body. He lost the title via competitive unanimous decision to Linares in September 2016, then lost the immediate rematch by unanimous decision the following March. Crolla earned another world title shot by authoring three consecutive decision wins, including a unanimous decision over former three-weight world champion Ricky Burns in October 2017.

Ramirez (39-0, 25 KOs) is ready to make his mark at light heavyweight after making five successful defenses of his WBO world title. The native of Mazatlán, Mexico, is a 10-year pro who won the world title in April 2016 with a shutout unanimous decision over two-weight world champion Arthur Abraham. In his last bout, Dec. 14 in Corpus Christi, Texas, he closed the show strong and defeated Jesse “Hollywood” Hart via majority decision. Ramirez, who has not ruled out returning to super middleweight to defend his title, also has his sights set on the light heavyweight division’s leading names.

“I am very motivated because of all the new things I have been doing to advance my career,” Ramirez said. “I am very excited to fight at Staples Center for the first time, as I consider Los Angeles my second home. I knew there will be many Latino fans supporting me. I want to become an idol of Mexican boxing, and nothing will stop me as I work to fulfill my dreams. I am also working with a new trainer, Julian Chua, who is pushing me to become the best fighter possible.”

For more information visit: www.toprank.comwww.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Use the hashtag #LomaCrolla to follow the action on social media.
 ###
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 filmsFans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.