Fast Results from London: Lomachenko is Too Classy for Stouthearted Campbell

Vasiliy Lomachenko successfully defended his two lightweight belts and added a third with a wide unanimous decision over doughty Luke Campbell before a crowd of 18,000-plus at London’s 02 arena. The bout matched two 31-year-old southpaws, both former Olympic gold medalists, but Lomachenko, the Ukrainian, was a huge favorite over his British counterpart who was knocked down in the 11th round but still standing at the final bell.

Although Loma, 14-1, wasn’t able to close the show, it was yet a vintage performance. He befuddled Campbell (20-3) with his footwork and the angles of his attack and was returned the winner by scores of 118-109 and 119-108 twice.

Campbell’s best moment came in round seven when he staggered Lomachenko with a hard right, but Vasiliy quickly recovered and was back fighting on the front foot before the round ended.

In defeat, Campbell showed a lot of resolve. He was hurt by a hook to the body in round five but held on to survive the round. A sustained attack followed by a straight shot down the pipe forced Campbell to take a knee in round 11 and he was in trouble again in the final round, but he stayed the course and sent the fight to the scorecards.

Lomachenko has indicated that he wants to acquire all the belts which informs us that his next fight will come against the winner of the forthcoming bout between IBF titlist Richard Commey and Teofimo Lopez. They are scheduled to meet in December. Lopez, although the challenger, will be favored and if it’s Lomachenko-Lopez it will almost certainly be a PPV event on both sides of the Atlantic.

Co-Main

The 12-round heavyweight contest between Alexander Povetkin (35-2, 25 KOs) and Hughie Fury 23-3 (13 KO) was a drab affair, which wasn’t entirely unexpected as Hughie lacks a big punch. Povetkin, who has a far stronger amateur pedigree and had faced a much stronger schedule, went to post a small favorite and emerged victorious, winning a unanimous decision. All three judges had it 117-111, perhaps a bit wide, but the Russian, who turns 40 on Tuesday, was a deserving winner.

Edwards-Martinez

WBC world flyweight champion Charlie Edwards retained his belt in a bizarre fashion when his bout with Mexico’s Julio Cesar Martinez was ruled a “no-contest.” Martinez, the aggressor from the opening bell, knocked Edwards to his knees in round three with a sustained attack but threw one punch too many. Replays showed that the final punch, a left to the body, landed when Edwards was down, but the referee missed it and counted Edwards out, a result that was quickly overturned.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, who was ringside, entered the ring and informed the crowd that the title would remain with Edwards while ordering Edwards to give Martinez an immediate rematch. It is being speculated that Edwards, who was taking the worst of it, will skirt the WBC mandate by the expedient of moving up in weight.

While the “NC” ruling was appropriate, this was a tough break for Martinez who had won 14 straight after losing his pro debut, the last eight by stoppage.

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Light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, advanced to 12-0 (10 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of well-traveled 37-year-old Canadian Ryan Ford (16-5). Ford had his moments, notably in the second round, but Buatsi, a Londoner born in Ghana, eventually took control and ended the match with a body punch that appeared to land a wee bit low.

Buatsi’s manager of record is Anthony Joshua. It was Ford’s fifth loss in his last seven starts, but the Canadian hadn’t previously been stopped.

Also, in an all-Wales affair, Joe Cordina (10-0, 7 KOs) successfully defended his BBBofC lightweight title with a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Gavin Gwynne (11-1, 1 KO). The scores were 116-111 and 116-110 twice. During the battle, both had points deducted for hitting behind the head.

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