ROBBERY IN TEXAS---Lomachenko v Salido Review

Lomachenko v Salido Fight Review

Salido forfeited the WBO featherweight title on the scales. On fight night he came in at an ‘unofficial’ weight of 147 lbs while Lomachenko weighed 136 lbs. Lomachenko was fighting for the vacated title (and $230 000) while Salido for pride (and $235 000).

In the preview of this fight I said Salido has a habit of bending over in a lunging attempt to reach his more fleet-footed opponents. I didn’t think he would take it to this level. This move pretty much became the story of this messy fight. Take a look at the following collage of screenshots: 

Every photo shows Salido leading with the head. Effectively a head butt. These moves are against to rules of boxing. There are 30 photos and these are all taken AFTER the 8th round which was by the time I had lost all hope in the legitimacy of this fight.

There are many more examples of this from the previous seven rounds. Ironically Lomachenko was criticized by the referee and commentators for repeatedly holding. What do you expect him to do when his opponent is burying his head into his sternum? Anyone who has seen Lomachenko in the amateurs knows he hates holding and would not hold unless forced to.

This lunging, leading with the head, headbutt ‘manoeuvre’ pretty much killed the flow of the fight and hence Lomachenko was not able to use his skill with this blatant flaunting of the rules. However the few times the fight was able to flow we could see flashes of his brilliance.

Regardless, I had Lomachenko winning the fight 116-112. Not much different to the judge Levi Martinez (who had it 115-113).

Lomachenko landed more total punches (164 to 142) at a much higher percentage (37% to 22%). He landed less Power shots (105 to 137) but at a much better percentage (44% to 25%). Lomachenko had Salido hurt badly in the 12th while never being hurt himself. This while being outweighed by 10lbs. In other words if you like fighters who swing wildly with little thought you probably thought Salido won. On the other hand if you like fighters who use their superior footwork, balance and defence to get into position to land smart accurate shots you probably thought Lomachenko won. It’s up to you…... What’s that famous quote by Roger Mayweather again (reminder on left sidebar of this blog)?

THE RISE OF A STAR?--------- Lomachenko v Salido

Vasyl Lomachenko vs Orlando Salido

Scheduled for : March 1
HBO Boxing

Chavez v Vera 2 undercard
For WBO World Featherweight (126lbs) title

PREDICTION : Lomachenko by TKO

After dominating amatuer boxing for over 7 years Vasyl Lomachenko is trying to build a reputation in pro boxing as fast as possible. In his second pro fight, Orlando Salido provides him a great opportunity to prove his greatness against a tough opponent and get the respect he deserves.

Lomachenko is a complete fighter. Normally if fighters are elusive they can be a little over defensive (think Rigondeaux or Bradley) or if they are aggressive they often get careless on defense (think Hatton or Pacquiao). Lomachenko is a very rare species of boxer who is both impossibly elusive and can apply constant intelligent pressure.

KEYS TO THE FIGHT

Lomachenko will use his superior footwork to maintain distance, not letting Salido get close. Mikey Garcia did this to great effect on his way to beating Salido in an 8 round decision early in 2013. Salido is really only effective at close range and struggled against the constantly moving Garcia as his footwork is not a strong point. He consequently ends up lunging and bending forward while chasing his more fleet footed opponent around the ring. In the following video this bending forward exposes his chin and Garcia takes advantage with an uppercut knockdown.

Even if he does get in close range against Lomachenko he will often be swinging at air. Take a look at the highlights in the following video of Lomachenko’s impressive pro debut win over Ramirez. He uses perfect head movement to have his opponent constantly miss. Ramirez misses on 11 of 13 punches. His ability to see all these punches coming is amazing.

When Salido misses he will be left off balance and his defence will be compromised. His tendency to bend forward will leave his chin open to body shot punches and uppercuts. In the following video Lomachenko shows the skills required to execute this strategy. He opens up Ramirez by making him miss and then delivers a very accurate and powerful body shot on both knockdowns.

Not only is Lomachenko a great technical fighter with brilliant defensive skills, he is also not afraid to come forward and attack. Vasyl Lomachenko vs Orlando Salido is a not to be missed fight if you want to see boxing at its best. It will be a Lomachenko masterpiece and Salido will provide a great canvass.