As boxing’s pound-for-pound best, reigning WBA (Super) and WBO lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KO) needed to dominate last night (Fri., April 12, 2019) live on ESPN+ from inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Luckily for the champ, he was able to put a stop to English veteran Anthony Crolla (34-7-3, 13 KO) via fourth-round knockout.
In typical “Matrix” fashion, Lomachenko took his time in the opening rounds to gauge Crolla’s movements with feints and pressure. Once he downloaded enough information Lomachenko piled on vicious combinations in Round 3 that put Crolla against the ropes and forced a referee break for a technical knockdown.
In Round 4, Lomechenko continue to pile on the offense. A few combinations and a body shot backed Crolla towards the corner. Lomachenko then landed a left hand followed by a brutal right hook on the side of the head that shut Crolla off and sent the Englishman into a faceplant on the canvas.
Check out the memorable fourth-round finish below along with some more action:
Well, this wasn’t ideal. pic.twitter.com/tSl3MQePYM
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) April 13, 2019
Three Angles in a GIF: Vasiliy Lomachenko ices Anthony Crolla pic.twitter.com/8Xab16EcYJ
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) April 13, 2019
Lomachenko scores the knockdown and thinks it was ruled a TKO. What do you think? #LomaCrolla pic.twitter.com/GVwAlYSLgs
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 13, 2019
With this win, Lomachenko proves yet again that he’s the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. The 31-year-old lightweight finally looked healthy after shoulder surgery last year and it showed in his performance against Crolla. “Matrix” is simply dominating the competition at every turn so it may be time to pit Lomachenko against WBC and IBF lightweight champion Mikey Garcia.
For complete “Lomachenko vs. Crolla” results and coverage click here.