Lomachenko rallies late to pull out win vs. Ortiz

Vasiliy Lomachenko scored a unanimous-decision triumph implicit Jamaine Ortiz successful a combat that was acold tougher than expected for him Saturday nighttime astatine New York's Hulu Theater astatine MSG.

The triumph sets Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KO) up for a imaginable gathering adjacent twelvemonth with undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney.

Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KO), a large underdog, was successful power implicit the archetypal fractional of the 135-pound bout connected the spot of his athleticism, superior size and jab, but Lomachenko rallied down the agelong to triumph a tightly contested bout.

The judges scored it 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111.

Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic golden medalist and erstwhile three-division champion, was warring for the archetypal clip successful 10 months. The 34-year-old erstwhile pound-for-pound king agreed to a woody to question to Australia for a June combat with then-lightweight champion George Kambosos but elected to stay successful war-torn Ukraine with his family.

In Lomachenko's place, Haney struck a woody for 2 fights with Kambosos successful Melbourne and emerged with each 4 lightweight titles. Haney, a 23-year-old from Las Vegas, was astatine ringside to witnesser the instrumentality of Lomachenko, who struggled implicit the archetypal six rounds.

"I deliberation it wasn't the champion performance," said Haney, who entered the ringing afterward for an interrogation alongside Lomachenko. "I anticipation we tin get it on."

"I volition beryllium ready," said Lomachenko, who sported a swollen look with a ample welt nether his close eye.

For astatine slightest the archetypal fractional of the fight, the imaginable of a acme gathering betwixt Haney and Lomachenko appeared to beryllium slipping away. Ortiz, a little-known 26-year-old from Worcester, Mass., scored a determination triumph implicit Jamel Herring successful May and parlayed the upset triumph into the biggest accidental of his career.

Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KOs) acceptable a torrid gait from the opening bell, doubling and tripling up connected the jab to support Lomachenko astatine bay. With the pb manus disrupting his rhythm, Lomachenko wasn't capable to make the benignant of punching angles that carried him to the apical of the sport.

They continued to combat furiously, and oftentimes erstwhile Lomachenko did find an opening, Ortiz dissuaded him by digging a close manus to the body. But arsenic helium usually does, Lomachenko recovered a 2nd cogwheel implicit the 2nd fractional of the fight, conscionable arsenic Ortiz was slowing down successful his archetypal 12-round bout.

Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) began to find a location for his lightning-quick combinations and busted up Ortiz's look with crisp close hooks and sweeping lefts. Lomachenko won the last six rounds connected 2 of 3 scorecards to unafraid the triumph successful a bout that featured respective frames that were hard to score.

"I thought I won the fight," Ortiz said. "Decision is what it is. I thought this was gonna beryllium my night."

But it wasn't, adjacent though Ortiz undoubtedly improved his banal successful defeat. He wasn't expected to endanger to triumph and surely secured himself different meaningful combat adjacent year.

Lomachenko, meanwhile, admitted helium indispensable beryllium much progressive if he's going to beryllium astatine his best. The combat was his archetypal since a determination triumph implicit Richard Commey successful December 2021, a layoff caused by Russia's penetration of Ukraine successful February.

If Lomachenko is going to contend with Haney -- different larger, diversion boxer with possibly the sport's champion jab -- he'll person to combat astatine different level entirely. On Saturday, helium did conscionable capable to support his presumption and caput toward the negotiating array for a combat that could execute his imagination of yet becoming undisputed champion.

"The combat to marque successful the lightweight part is Haney vs. Lomachenko, and we volition bash everything we tin to marque the undisputed title showdown that each combat fans privation to see," Top Rank president Bob Arum said. "They are the world's premier lightweights, and it would beryllium a fantastic battle."