Two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko knocked out Venezuelan Jorge Linares to win the World Boxing Association lightweight title on May 12, becoming the fastest boxer in history to win titles in three divisions – in just 12 fights.
Lomachenko, 30, stopped his opponent in the tenth round of their lightweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. In the last round, Lomachenko landed a hard left on Linares and sent him to his knees. Linares got up, but the referee called an end to the fight.
“Linares is a great champion,” Lomachenko told CBS Sports about his opponent, “and the fight was good for the fans and everybody. It was a great fight.”
The two fighters were the same weight, 61 kilograms, the day before the championship. Linares is 3 centimeters taller (173), but Lomachenko was much more agile in the ring, media reported.
“The fight was getting interesting,” Linares told U.S. newspaper USA Today. “It was very close, but he did surprise me with that body shot. I wanted to continue. I wanted to keep working, but the ref stopped the fight.”
Besides his freshly won WBA lightweight title, Lomachenko is the holder of the World Boxing Organization’s super featherweight and featherweight titles.
Lomachenko went into professional boxing after winning two Olympic golds at the Beijing and London Games in different weight classes. His short professional boxing career consists of only 12 fights, with 11 victories.
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