You're reading: Boxers Usyk, Lomachenko and Gvozdyk show Ukrainian dominance in the US

Ukrainian boxing champions Aleksandr Usyk, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Gvozdyk all recorded victories on a seven-bout boxing card at the MGM National Harbor Arena in the U.S. state of  Maryland on April 8. It was the first time three Ukrainians performed in one night in the U.S, with channel HBO Sports broadcasting their fights worldwide.

Lomachenko paid tribute to the global viewers after his win over Jason Sosa.

“I entered the ring tonight to show high-tech boxing and to entertain everyone here in the arena and everyone who’s watching our fights on HBO,” he said.

From Left: Ukrainian boxing champions Aleksandr Usyk, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Gvozdyk pose for a photo before the fight night on April 8. (Courtesy from K2 Promotions)

From Left: Ukrainian boxing champions Aleksandr Usyk, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Gvozdyk pose for a photo before the fight night on April 8. (Courtesy from K2 Promotions)

 

Meanwhile, in what was his second fight in the U.S., 30-year-old Crimean native Usyk defended his WBO title in the cruiserweight category, which admits boxers up to 91 kilograms in weight. Usyk overcame Michael Hunter in 12 rounds, gaining victory by 117 points to 110.

In the next fight 29-year-old Ukrainian light heavyweight Gvozdyk, the North American Boxing Federation champion, knocked out Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez. The Ukrainian proved far too strong for his opponent, who fell In the third round after losing his balance. Gonzalez tried to get back into the fight but proceedings were brought to a halt when his cornerman entered the ring and asked that the bout be stopped.

The defeat was Gonzalez’s fourth in his professional career.

Last but far from least, WBO featherweight champion Lomachenko entered the ring, bringing his trademark skills and creativity to the arena.

The 29-year-old, the headliner of the evening, needed nine rounds to defeat his opponent Sosa. The American boxer refused to start the tenth round due to eye trauma.

Lomachenko, nicknamed High-Tech, did more than just show his skills as fighter.

In round six he also displayed his other moves, taunting his opponent with a matador dance as if to check that Sosa – an American boxer of Puerto Rican descent – wasn’t a bull.

Ukrainian boxer Vasyl Lomachenko performs a matador dance.

When the HBO host asked Lomachenko what did he, a Ukrainian, think about the cheering crowd of U.S fans who had come to watch him, he replied with his usual self-confidence:

“It is hard for me to say. Maybe they like what I do in the arena,  or maybe I am just a good looking guy!”

Lomachenko said his modest aims were both to become a part of history and get some rest when he returns to Ukraine.