Walters ready for Lomachenko
WITH JUST a couple days remaining before he challenges World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko for his title at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Jamaica’s Nicholas ‘Axeman’ Walters says he is ready to get going.
“I am fit and ready, and very anxious to get into the ring on November 26 with Vasyl, so that I can beat him and take away his title,” said Walters from his training base in Panama.
Oozing confidence, the ‘Axeman’, who earned his nickname because of the way he has cut down opponents, (21 of 26), told The Gleaner that he has been training very hard for the past two months, under the guidance of his lead trainer, Celso Chavez, and his assistant trainer, father Job.
“I am actually reducing my training schedule now, so as to peak at the right time” added Walters who has been sparring with boxers from Panama, Venezuela and Guatemala.
ON TARGET
“Some afternoons, I did up to 10 rounds in addition to my bag work and speed work and a lot of rounds with the pads. I am feeling real good” he added.
The upper limit for the super featherweight division is 130 pounds, and he said that his weight is on target, which is promising news for his fans considering that he lost his World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight super title on the scale in June last year because he was not able to make the 126-pound limit.
His fight against Miguel Marriaga on June 11 went on as a non title fight for him, and he won by unanimous decision.
Since then he has had a draw against Jason Sosa in New York on December 19 last year and that was his last fight. It will, therefore, be nearly a year since he last fought, but he does not think that this will be a problem. His record is now 26-0-1.
Lomachenko, who is a unique champion, has had only seven professional
fights, and a 6-1 record. He is regarded as a boxing phenomenon. As an amateur, he had 397 fights and lost only one, and won gold medals in the Olympics twice.
He has also had six, semi professional fights in the AIBA World Series of Boxing contest, all victories. He won the WBO featherweight title in only his fourth fight, and stepped up to win the super featherweight title on June 11 by knocking out the champion Roman Martinez in five rounds. He will be a handful for
Walters.