The Hauser Report: Is the Clock Winding Down for Vasiliy Lomachenko?

Vasiliy Lomachenko continued his sojourn through boxing with a unanimous-decision victory over Jamaine Ortiz at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on Saturday night. But there were signs that his magic wand might be less magical than before.

Lomachenko, now 34 years old, has piercing blue eyes and a well-groomed beard. Regardless of what his body might say, his age shows in his face. Throughout his career, he has combined captivating ring skills with a willingness to go in tough. But as Vasiliy went up to 135 pounds in search of greater challenges and more lucrative paydays, he lost some of the competitive edge that he enjoyed over smaller fighters. Two years ago, Teofimo Lopez brought him down to earth with a 119-109, 117-111, 116-112 performance.

Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) was considered a safe opponent. Jamaine had decisioned Jamel Herring in his last fight. But nothing on his resume suggested that he’d pose any problems that Lomachenko couldn’t solve. Vasiliy was a 20-to-1 betting favorite.

“I’m not his promoter,” Lomachenko said when asked about the apparent disparity in skills between the two fighters. “I’m not his trainer. I’m not thinking about if this step up is too much for him or not.”

Lomachenko, who is a Ukrainian national and member of his country’s territorial defense battalion, was also reluctant to comment on a range of issues relating to the war in Ukraine. “I am a bad judge of politics,” he noted. When asked specifically about the propriety of Russian athletes such as Dmitry Bivol and Alex Ovechkin being allowed to compete in the United States, he answered, “I’d have to know more about their personal circumstances to comment on those situations.”

The October 29 fight card was constructed around Lomachenko, with Top Rank using his presence to fulfill contractual obligations to seven other fighters who are at various stages of development in their respective ring careers and to build them for the future. All seven emerged victorious. None of their opponents came to lie down.  But when two men fight and one is better than the other, the better fighter usually wins. And when one fighter is much better than the other, “usually” changes to “almost always.”

Junior-welterweight Abdullah Mason (now 5-0, 4 KOs) looked good in knocking out Angel Barrera in four rounds. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (8-0, 1 KO) disappointed. Ragin won a 79-73, 78-74, 77-75 decision over Luis Lebron that elicited cries of “Bull****! Bull****!” from the crowd. Heavyweight Richard Torrez stopped Ahmed Hefny in an inartful beatdown that was more evocative of “the culture of bruising” than “the sweet science.” In other bouts, Robeisy Ramirez, Delante Johnson, Troy Isley, and Haven Brady prevailed.

Nico Ali Walsh (Muhammad Ali’s grandson) was also on the card.

When Nico (now 7-0, 5 KOs) turned pro in August 2021, Top Rank was told that he wasn’t focused on belts nor did he expect to become a great fighter. Rather, he was boxing because he wanted to challenge himself and experience the core of what his grandfather experienced in the ring.

In line with that thinking, the original plan was for Nico to have a handful of fights leading to a big payday somewhere in the Middle East and then get out of boxing. Now, Bob Walsh (Nico’s father) acknowledges, “Nico has the bug.” And Nico says, “When I was little, I said I wanted to be a world champion like my grandfather. But it was like saying I wanted to be a comic book superhero. Now it’s attainable. It’s real.”

Nico entered the ring at the Hulu Theater wearing a vampire cape in honor of Halloween and evoking memories of Leon Spinks (who Muhammad Ali nicknamed “Dracula” because Spinks was missing numerous front teeth – a condition that gave Leon the appearance of having fangs). Billy Wagner (Nico’s carefully chosen opponent from Montana) had toughman skills.

Nico staggered Wagner with a jab in round one that, judging by the blood, broke Billy’s nose. Thereafter, he controlled the fight with his jab en route to a unanimous-decision triumph.

But Nico got hit with punches that he shouldn’t have been hit with. And I’ll repeat what I’ve written before.

Nico is an exceptionally gifted young man. He’s not an exceptionally gifted fighter. I’d rather that he not get hit with more blows to the head in sparring and in fights. And I’d rather that he not inflict punishment like that on other young men either

As for the main event . . .

Lomachenko has never been a fighter who strikes fear into the hearts of opponents by blasting them out with overwhelming power. He relies on speed, reflexes, conditioning, and a keen boxing mind to outbox them.

Fighters who rely on preternatural reflexes and speed get old at a younger age than their brethren. Vasiliy’s age is now showing.

The 26-year-old Ortiz fought aggressively in the early going and, at times, appeared to be the quicker of the two fighters. After six rounds, he was even on two of the judges’ scorecards and leading 58-56 on the third. Then Lomachenko’s craftsmanship and conditioning turned the tide.

It was a good, spirited, action fight. Referee Charlie Fitch did an excellent job, letting the fighters fight out of clinches and only inserting himself in the proceedings when necessary. The 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 decision in Lomachenko’s favor was a good one.

One might also note that Lomachenko is no longer the amateur standout who had trouble dealing with roughhouse tactics in his ambitious early days as a pro. He now knows, and is willing to employ, some of those tactics himself.

The victory brought Lomachenko’s record to 17-2, with 11 KOs. As for what comes next; Devin Haney holds the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO 135-pound belts by virtue of two victories over George Kambosos. Haney is the opponent that Lomachenko and Top Rank say they want next. But Devin has only one fight left on his contract with Top Rank which might complicate matters.

“Hopefully, we can get it on,” Haney said after Lomachenko-Ortiz. “We’ll see when we go to negotiate.”

Those negotiations might be further complicated by unrealistic financial demands fueled by the infusion of “crazy money” in boxing (e.g. see BLK Prime’s apparent willingness to pay $10 million to Terence Crawford to fight David Avanesyan in December).

Also, while Lomachenko is a small 135-pound fighter, Haney is now a big one. Haney-Lomachenko presupposes that Devin (who has been struggling a bit to make weight) doesn’t move up to 140 pounds.

Meanwhile, Lomachenko is no longer “The Man” at 135 pounds. He’s part of a group that includes Haney, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, and (soon to be added) Shakur Stevenson. How Vasiliy would fare against these fighters today is an open issue. In his mind, he knows what he has to do to beat them. But his body might no longer be able to do it.

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Last week, I posted an article on The Sweet Science about the decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to allow slap fighting to move forward as a sanctioned “sport.” [https://tss.ib.tv/boxing/featured-boxing-articles-boxing-news-videos-rankings-and-results/74363-the-hauser-report-slap-fighting-a-bad-idea-whose-time-shouldnt-come].

There has been a lot of commentary about slap fighting since then with some people not grasping what’s at stake. Coincidentally, neuro-scientist Christopher Nowinski (a former college football player who wrestled under the WWE banner and is now CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation) spoke out recently about the National Football League’s concussion protocol. Here’s what Nowinski said:

“I hate that I have to remind you of this. But these are human beings with futures, that will someday be husbands and fathers. And we need to protect their brains the best we can while they’re out there helping you make money. How are we so stupid in 2022?”

Pay attention, Nevada.

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The November/December issue of “The Ring (which was mailed to subscribers in October) came with the advisory that, after one hundred years, “The Ring” will no longer publish a print edition.

The inaugural issue of “The Ring” appeared in February 1922. To put that date in perspective, Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States. John F. Kennedy was four years old. For the first time in his illustrious career, Babe Ruth no longer took the mound as a pitcher. Rocky Marciano had yet to be born. There were no fights on radio or television because there was little radio and no television.

In the century that followed, “The Ring” chronicled boxing history, sometimes better than anyone else. But without an inspirational change in vision, the print edition was no longer economically viable.

“The Ring” says that it will maintain an online presence. But there’s a special feel to paper. It’s sad that “The Ring” as boxing fans knew it for a century is no more.

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Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – In the Inner Sanctum: Behind the Scenes at Big Fights – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images