Quick Results from Oxon Hill: Lomachenko TKOs Overmatched Sosa

LOMACHENKO TKOs OVERMATCHED SOSA — The new MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, sits less than 12 miles from the White House. On Saturday, April 8, the resort hosted a Ukrainian boxing convention of sorts in their intimate 3,000-seat Theater. WBO 130-pound champion Vasyl Lomachenko was the headliner and he performed even better than expected, TKOing gritty but overmatched Jason Sosa whose corner mercifully stopped the fight following the ninth round. Two other Ukrainian boxers, WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksander Usyk and light heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk, were victorious in supporting bouts.

There’s a school of thought that Vasyl Lomachenko is the best pound for pound fighter in the world and he buttressed that opinion by putting on a clinic. Considering his extensive amateur background one would think that Lomachenko is an old 29, but he seems to be improving like fine wine.

The Usyk-Hunter match was a battle of former Olympians. Usyk, a two-time Olympian and 2012 gold medalist, successfully defended his belt with a 12-round unanimous decision. Had the bout lasted a bit longer it would have likely been stopped. Usyk battered Hunter in the final frame, nearly knocking him through the ropes, forcing the referee to issue a standing 8-count. It was a 10-8 round for the Ukrainian who won by identical 117-110 scores on all three cards while advancing his record to 12-0. Hunter, the son of the late heavyweight contender Mike “The Bounty” Hunter, earned the respect of the crowd with his gallant effort. It was his first pro loss after opening his pro career 12-0.

Gvozdyk (13-0, 11 KOs) turned heads with a smashing third round stoppage of Cuban transplant Yunieski Gonzalez (18-3). In round three, Gvozdyk put Gonzalez on the deck with a hard combination. The Cuban never recovered and his corner stopped it following his second trip to the mat. Referee Harvey Dock was faulted for letting Gonzalez take unnecessary punishment.

Other bouts of note:

In a 10-round contest in the super middleweight division, Jesse Hart (22-0, 18 KOs) had an easy go with Alan Campa (16-3), stopping his overmatched Mexican opponent in the fifth round. Campa’s corner stopped the one-sided fray after Hart sent him reeling with a harsh uppercut. Philadelphia’s Hart, the son of former middleweight contender Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, is ranked #1 by the WBO whose 168-pound champion is Gilberto Ramirez.

In a super lightweight contest, local D.C.-area product Mike Reed improved to 22-0 with a lopsided 10-round decision over Reyes Sanchez (26-10-2). This was a good workout for Reed, a former amateur standout who hadn’t previously been asked to fight more than eight rounds. The limited but durable Sanchez has now lost six of last seven.

In an 8-round welterweight match, Egidijus Kavaliauskas advanced to 16-0 (13) with a 4^th round KO of Mexican southpaw Ramses Agaton (18-6-3). Kavaliauskas, who represented Lithuania in the 2008 and 2112 Olympics, scored two knockdowns in the third frame prior to putting Agaton down for the full count in Round 4 with a big right hand.

Also:

Patrick Harris UD Omar Garcia, 8 rounds, super lightweights.

Lomachenko vs Sosa Results / Check out TSS’s Frank Lotierzo’s pre-fight break down at The Boxing Channel.