Vasiliy Lomachenko returned to the ring after a 10-month lay-off against a game Jamaine Ortiz. Lomachenko, now 34, had to battle throughout the fight to spark a comeback that brought fans to their feet.
The former lightweight champion reminded the world of his presence in the division, as he defeated Ortiz at the Hulu Theater inside New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Though not without some controversy a
The former lightweight champion defeated Ortiz via unanimous decision at the Hulu Theater inside New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111. That last score was questioned by Terence Crawford and other pros watching the bout.
Ortiz got started strong as he dominated the first couple of rounds, he outlanded Lomachenko several times and in the fourth outlanded the Ukrainian star 17 to eight. Though Lomachenko showed boxing prowess it was hard to see him winning the first half again Ortiz.
Once the second half unfolded, Lomachenko knocked the rust off and ‘The Matrix’ began to storm back, connecting 102 to Ortiz’s 104 by Round 10. Loma rallied behind his jab and inside shots. By the end, it was a close fight but the judges had seen enough to give Loma the win.
Lomachenko beat Richard Commey in his last fight before departing to Ukraine to join its military forces against Russian aggression before accepting this bout. Heavyweight champion and fellow Ukranian peer, Oleksandr Usyk was amongst the New York crowd, proud of his friend and being one step closer to being back on top of the world.
After the fight, undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, entered the ring to confront his next possible opponent, as he is coming off his back to back wins against George Kambosos Jr. Haney told Lomachenko he is ready to take one of the best in the division.
