Vasiliy Lomachenko stopped George Kambosos Jr in the eleventh round to win the IBF lightweight title at the RAC Arena in Perth, becoming a four-time world champion in three different weight classes.
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Ukraine’s two-time Olympic gold medalist returned from a year-long break following a Controversial loss to Devin Haney to punish his opponent for 10 rounds before knocking him down early in the 11th. Kambosos beat the count but Lomachenko quickly closed it out and dropped Kambosos again with a pair of body shots, causing his corner to throw in the towel.
Lomachenko, 36, won virtually every minute of every round in a masterful performance before 14,147 fans, besting Kambosos. by a margin of 175-40 according to Compubox punch statistics.
“My plan was to adapt to my opponent,” Lomachenko said after the fight. “This is what I did in the fight. Towards the end of the rounds I needed to finish strong. In the last three rounds, I was trying to find his body.”
Lomachenko then addressed a tweet from Gervonta Davis mid-fight saying the pair would fight next after Davis’ fight with Frank Martin next month.
“You know, during my boxing career I have never run and I have always fought,” Lomachenko said. “After I get some rest, we can talk about the future.”
Kambosos rose to stardom with a surprising 2021 victory over Teofimo Lopez for the IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight titles at 135 pounds, only to lose them in a four-belt unification fight with Haney the following year.
“This guy is one of the best of all time,” Kambosos said afterward. “We did our best, but he is a good champion. He deserves that belt. I gave it my all.
“I’m still alive, I’m still standing. I’m not dead”.
