Vasiliy Lomachenko Beats Up Richard Commey Over 12
In somewhat of a must-win fight, former three division champion Vasiliy “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KO’s) walked away the victor. The lightweight pugilist accomplished this feat by claiming a unanimous decision win over Richard “RC” Commey (30-3, 27 KO’s).
With Commey’s scalp sheared off and tucked away, Lomachenko can put his full attention into once again obtaining a world title. The versatile Ukrainian has already made it quite clear that he is on a mission to become the undisputed lightweight champion.
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Ironically, both men were one fight removed from their mutual loss to Teofimo Lopez. Each man bounced back with a knockout victory. Commey fought and stopped Jackson Marinez in the sixth, while Loma knocked out Masayoshi Nakatani in the ninth round of his comeback match. With his current rankings of #1 (WBO), #1 (WBC), #4 (WBA) and #6 (IBF), Hi-Tech is in an excellent position to challenge for a world title.
Naturally, his first major target would be WBA super, WBO and IBF lightweight champion “Ferocious” George Kambosos. Kambosos was the first person to scar Lopez’s professional ledger with a loss. Having done so, the Australian seized all of the Take Over’s hardware with the spoils of war. This obviously makes him the most belt-carrying champion in the division and Lomachenko’s biggest priority.
RELATED: Vasiliy Lomachenko: “Geroge Kambosos Is My New Goal!”
As for Commey this is a stinging and very deflating loss. On the one hand, Lomachenko is one of the sport’s finest specimens and RC handled himself well. With that being said, he should not lose too much stock as a fighter in and of itself. On the other hand however, no matter how talented a pugilist may be, professional boxers only advance by winning.
Therefore this defeat will be costly and time consuming for Commey who now has to work that much harder to get back into title contention. There is little doubt that his rankings will tumble down from his current #4 (WBO), #5 (IBF) and #5 (WBC) standings.
HI-TECH BACK IN HIGH GEAR
There was very little action to speak of in the first. Outside of a pair of successful body shots Commey threw, the two boxers mainly just felt one another out. The action roared to life in the second as both fighters enjoyed offensive success, although Lomachenko scored the far more eye-catching shots.
The third started in rather choppy fashion as Commey grabbed and held Loma routinely whenever in a clinch. Referee Steve Willis warned him at length about this. Even worse, by the end of the round, Hi-Tech was hitting on all cylinders as he was regularly using his notorious footwork and angles to land hard, sharp punches.
The tide continued to rise in the favor of Loma in the third. He continued to pelt the cranium and body with hurtful, laser-like blows that appeared to have Commey wilting before our eyes. Nothing changed about the state of affairs until the seventh when Loma dropped Commey with a tight left hook.
The prideful Ghanaian mounted his feet and managed to weather a devastating storm. On a couple of occasions, Hi-Tech implored Commey’s corner to stop the fight. Miraculously, he braved the round.
In comparison, the next two rounds were pretty quiet. Commey began letting his hands go in an effort to re-establish a positive groove while Loma was still working his angles. Each scored, but not with anything worth writing home about. In a display of true grit and competitive spirit, Commey bit down and fought Loma with a gusto in bursts throughout the tenth and eleventh.
He was being outworked and still not landing the better shots, but he was not shirking on his obligations as a professional fighter. Loma and RC fought near constantly down the stretch of the final round. This was a feat in and of itself because Commey was clearly exhausted. Predictably, when the cards were read, Loma won a wide unanimous decision.
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By: Bakari Simpson
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