Vasyl Lomachenko is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who compiled an otherworldly amateur record of 396-1 before turning pro, where he only need a dozen fights to capture world titles in three different weight classes.
So it was a bit surprising to learn that Conor McGregor didn’t think “The Matrix” was good enough to replace Paulie Malignaggi, who was bounced from the “Notorious” fight camp in the wake of his knockdown scandal.
That means we’ll never know if McGregor can do to the Ukrainian what he did to Malignaggi, though I get the feeling Lomachenko isn’t losing much sleep at night, at least when it comes to boxing McGregor.
“I can beat him easy,” Lomachenko told TMZ Sports. “I enjoy this fight. I will go through this guy, no problem. I don’t think [he’s a good boxer]. He might be a good boxer in an amateur career, amateur boxing. Three rounds, three minutes, one minute rest, maybe he is good. But in professional boxing? No.”
McGregor lasted 10 rounds against Floyd Mayweather in late 2017. Whether or not “Money” gave the fans what they wanted by carrying his grotesquely outmatched foe is unknown, but the retired pugilist was kind enough to prevent brain damage.
Lomachenko makes his second title defense against former champion Anthony Crolla in the upcoming Top Rank main event this Friday night (April 12, 2019) inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., live on ESPN+.