REALITY ’CHENKO
Ukrainian proves he belongs at new weight with TKO
We always knew Vasyl Lomachenko was a great talent. His skills and two gold medals have proven that. On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Lomachenko showed he also has a fighter’s heart, the kind that can get off the canvas and dethrone a champion.
Lomachenko did just that, as the Ukrainian rallied from being knocked down in the sixth round to claim the WBA lightweight championship with a 10th round technical knockout over Jorge Linares before a crowd of 10,429.
“Everybody knew what a great talent he is, but he showed he’s a real fighter,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said of Lomachenko. “He fought a much bigger guy who knows how to fight and wasn’t going to quit. But Loma stood up to him and showed a fighting heart.”
It was a left hook to the ribs that crumpled Linares at 2:08 of the 10th round. The champion also endured a barrage of punches leading up to that point, every blow sapping his fighting spirit as Linares lost for the first time in five years.
Despite being knocked down for the first time in his pro career, Lomachenko was just too fast, too skilled and too persistent for Linares (44-4, 27 KOs), who had won his previous 13 fights.
“I prepared for the last few rounds and my father told me, ‘You need to go to the body,’ ” Lomachenko said. “Linares is a great champion and the fight was good for the fans.”
Lomachenko, who improved to 11-1 with his ninth knockout, added the lightweight championship to the world titles he won at featherweight and super featherweight. The fight was in doubt at the time of the stoppage with Lomachenko ahead 86-84 on one card, behind 86-84 on another and tied 85-85 on another card. The Post had Lomachenko leading 87-83 after nine rounds.
“I had Lomachenko well ahead,” Arum said puzzled by a scoring that favored Linares.
The fight was competitive at times. Linares was more than willing to be Lomachenko’s first challenge at 135 pounds, plotting a showdown with the 2008 and 2012 Gold Medal winner by fighting southpaws in his two previous bouts.
Three inches taller and nearly 10 pounds heavier after hydrating, Linares tried to impose his will by muscling Lomachenko when he could. But by the end of the third round, Lomachenko’s fast hands and feet began to turn the fight in his favor.
Linares was a punching bag in the fourth as Lomachenko began putting his blows together, firing three and four-punch combinations to the head and body.
The Venezuelan tried to stand his ground in the fifth, but Lomachenko was just heating up, matching fire with fury and peppering Linares with jabs and hooks and uppercuts.
Lomachenko seemed to have the fight in control when late in the sixth Linares slammed him with a straight right hand that put the Ukrainian on his pants for the first time as a pro. Lomachenko bounced right up, looking more embarrassed than hurt, but suddenly it felt like a fight again.
Lomachenko resumed his twofisted attack and continued to pepper Linares with his lightning quick fists. By the 10th, the toll was too much for Linares, who crumbled to the canvas after the left hook to the ribs. Linares got up on wobbly legs, but wasn’t fit to continue.
“The fight was getting interesting,” Linares said. “It was very close, but he did surprise me with that body shot. I wanted to continue. I wanted to keep working, but the ref stopped the fight.”
It was a good stoppage. Lomachenko likely will return to the ring on Aug. 25 against a yet-to-benamed opponent.
In the undercards bouts: Carlos Adames, Michael Conlan, and Mikaela Mayer all won by unanimous decision, while Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, Jamel Herring and Teofimo Lopez won by knockout.