Numbers do not lie, however generally, they do not inform your complete fact, both.
Vasiliy Lomachenko introduced his retirement from boxing on Thursday at age 37. He leaves the game as a three-division world champion with knowledgeable file of 18-3 (12 KOs). Because the years go by, there shall be a brand new wave of boxing followers who won’t have witnessed the Ukrainian sensation apply his craft contained in the ring. As a substitute, they are going to take a look at his file and ask how a fighter with three losses in solely 21 fights will be thought-about nice. Particularly in an period when greatness is usually outlined by defending an undefeated file, one thing that Floyd Mayweather made well-known by retiring with a 50-0 file.
However Lomachenko was a special kind of athlete, whose journey by the professional ranks after a exceptional newbie profession, the place he received two Olympic gold medals and amassed a rare file of 396-1, ran reverse nearly all of boxing careers. Relatively than spend the early portion of his professional profession going through unheralded opponents, Lomachenko dove headfirst into the most important challenges and was outlined by overcoming the percentages.
In his second skilled struggle, lower than 5 months after his debut, Lomachenko was matched up with rugged WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido in March 2014. Lomachenko was chasing historical past in an try to interrupt the file by turning into a world champion in solely his second struggle. Nevertheless, Salido had different plans. He missed weight by 2 kilos and used his measurement benefit, together with some soiled techniques, to outpoint Lomachenko by cut up resolution.
Undeterred, Lomachenko would acclimate to the professional model and made good on his second try and grow to be a world champion by defeating beforehand unbeaten Gary Russell Jr. by majority resolution in June 2014 to say the vacant WBO featherweight title, becoming a member of Saensak Muangsurin as the one fighters to grow to be champions of their third professional struggle.
However his finest was but to come back.
Lomachenko efficiently defended the title 3 times earlier than shifting as much as junior light-weight, the place he stopped WBO champion Roman Martinez in 5 rounds in June 2016 to grow to be the quickest boxer to win world titles in two totally different weight lessons (seven fights). After that, we have been launched to “No Mas-Chenko.”
In his subsequent 4 fights — in opposition to Nicholas Walters (26-0-1), Jason Sosa (20-1-4), Miguel Marriaga (25-2) and Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0) — Lomachenko compelled every of his opponents to stop on the stool between rounds. Together with his very good footwork, pinpoint accuracy and extraordinary athleticism, Lomachenko was just about untouchable throughout this exceptional run that cemented him as a mainstay within the pound-for-pound rankings. In opposition to arguably the opposite best newbie boxer of this era, fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Rigondeaux, Lomachenko simply dissected him, permitting Rigondeaux to land solely 8% of his whole punches in a sixth-round TKO victory.
It could take the typical fighter a full profession to perform what Lomachenko did in simply 11 skilled fights.
And he nonetheless wasn’t achieved.
Though he was broadly thought to be a small junior light-weight, Lomachenko made the trek as much as light-weight for his subsequent endeavor, difficult WBA champion Jorge Linares in Could 2018. Though he was dropped within the sixth spherical, Lomachenko stopped Linares within the tenth spherical with a liver punch to grow to be the quickest fighter ever to win world titles in three totally different weight lessons (12 fights), obliterating the earlier file of 20 fights held by Jeff Fenech.
Together with his pound-for-pound standing cemented, Lomachenko unified titles with wins over Jose Pedraza and Luke Campbell however was unable to grow to be undisputed champion when he fell quick to IBF champion Teofimo Lopez. After successful his subsequent three fights, Lomachenko got here up quick once more in his try and unify all 4 main light-weight belts when he misplaced a extremely controversial resolution to Devin Haney. Each losses — in opposition to Haney and Lopez — have been in opposition to naturally greater opponents with youth on their facet.
Earlier than driving off into the sundown, Lomachenko laid waste to former undisputed light-weight champion George Kambosos Jr. in Could 2024 with an Eleventh-round TKO in his opponent’s yard of Perth, Australia. At 36, Lomachenko was uncertain of his subsequent transfer. Between his advancing age and craving to be dwelling in war-torn Ukraine, Lomachenko finally determined that his boxing profession was over.
Though Lomachenko did not retire with an ideal file, his urge for food to make historical past and tackle the most important challenges from the second he turned professional is the rationale he’ll waltz into the Worldwide Corridor of Fame in three years. For many boxers, 21 fights remains to be a part of the constructing section.
With that very same variety of fights, Canelo Alvarez was a digital unknown who was nonetheless combating completely in Mexico. Terence Crawford had but to win a serious world title after his first 21 fights. Even Mayweather, who’s rightfully acknowledged as the best boxer of this era, hadn’t completed what Lomachenko did in 21 fights. Lomachenko is the proper instance of needing to witness greatness in actual time to totally know it, and to not rely solely on numbers and data to inform a narrative.
