Camarillo, California – fights are often compared with wars, although this is no longer a metaphor for Vasiliy Lomachenko cares about devoting. Not anymore. Not after watching a real thing.
With regard to the war, a two -time gold medalist of Ukraine, considered for several years to be the largest warrior in the world, has something to do with the average American. “I saw war only on television before,” he said by the translator. “I had no idea: the buildings are destroyed, the cities are encountered from the map, people are killed. I did not take it personally, because it did not happen to me. It happened somewhere else with someone else.”
For some reason, a rocket hit remains with him. This hit a popular holiday destination on the Black Sea coast, maybe half a mile from the place where he stayed, maybe less, but left more than a few buildings in ruins. “I will remember this moment forever because my whole family was there,” said Lomachenko. “I don’t mean only my parents and my children, but my family.”
One can only imagine that excessive emotions such as a blow can move, even in one of them as existing, driven and pre -composed as Lomachenko: fear, rage, panic, confusion. But perhaps, perhaps the most perversely wonderful of all, Lomachenko’s career arch is different in the history of very venerable sport: 396 wins in relation to one defeat (of course Avenged) at amateurs, these gold medals, the title only in his third professional fight and stripes in three divisions. None of them – none of them were left to accident.
Yes, with the 35th birthday approaching in February, the war cost him in the last thing, which he really wanted from boxing – “My Dream”, calls it – the undisputed airy title, all four main belts.
But … So what? The whole family was destroyed in a rocket hit. Besides, he is still hunting. He fights with Jamaine Ortiz, the eighth WBC ranking at Hul theater in Madison Square Garden on Saturday (22:00 ET at ESPN+). It turns out that he is still in the game for the undisputed, not considered the likely result in February.
When the army of Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine, Lomachenko was in an orthodox monastery in Greece. His Lithuanian manager, Egis Klimas – obliged only to protect the interest of his warrior – advised Loma to attract his family and go directly to Camarillo, where he maintains the house and training center. Finally, it was thought that the war would be brutal and brief, the fact was achieved. Loma was a warrior-with a versatile agreement to fight George Cambosos Jr. For all airy belts-not a war hero.
“How could I do it?” Lomachenko said this week. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. I wouldn’t be able to take care of my life if I did it if I ran away. … The enemy attacked our country. Civilians are killed. Women and children die. Every man in my position, every real person would remain to protect his home.”
The last picture that most people saw from the Loma dated in February last year, when he enlisted to the local defense battalion. He is seen in combat fatigue, the rifle flew to his back.
You never know what the warrior really feels, but it wasn’t a fight. So he came neat: “fear and confusion,” he said, the wrong emotions for the great Lomachenko. “I tried to understand what was going on and what would happen.”
What did your day look like? I’m wondering.
“I wasn’t on the first line or on the battlefield,” he said quickly. “I wasn’t in battle.”
Lucky Guy again.
“The first days passed quickly because the situation would change really quickly,” he said. “Our group was supposed to patrol the city after a police hour. The police ration began at 22:00, when we start to combine the streets. To notice a person who should not be outside, or a car that should not be on the way. You must be as vigilant as during the fight.”
So the great Luchenko got a night shift. I wonder how he slept.
“I slept well,” he said. “I was exhausted.”
Especially after they let him train. “Four times a week,” he said. “I had a special schedule in the army [facility]. They gave me time for training because they understood my dream. “
However, despite the whole conversation about his dream, he never questioned his decision to fight Cambosos for all lanes. Instead, the shot went to a very talented youthful star, Devin Haney.
“He doesn’t regret it,” he said. “Nothing. .”
Still, are you wondering what is going through Lomachenko’s mind, watching it?
“I didn’t see it,” he said. “I slept.”
Lomachenko will allow the first fight in June not what he expected: “I thought he would fight Cambosos.” As for the rematch, he is a cage in his opinion of Haney: “He was good. He was wise. He showed why he was better than George Cambosos.”
You were not impressed?
“I’m not easily impressed.”
23 Haneya. The kid traveled 8,000 miles, fought before the hostile crowd of the stadium, returned a few months later and did it again, throwing another closure or damn close to him.
“I wouldn’t call it a heroic feat,” said Lomachenko. “This is something we all do. … He went to another country; he won the fight and returned. This is common practice.”
There is a final game here. Like Ukraine, the dream of this Ukrainian survived. Anyway, to do that he must go through Haney.
Would you give him the same licenses during the negotiations that Cambosos gave? I’m asking.
“You know my answer,” he said. “
What if Haney wants to fight in his hometown in Oakland? Is his adopted family city, Las Vegas?
“I don’t care about this place,” said Lomachenko. “I don’t care. I will go there as long as the belts are threatened.”
What if he says, “I want a rematch clause”?
“Of course. I will be ready for each of his conditions.”
Many warriors talk about it. Actually, most of them. And most of them lie, otherwise sport would not be in a balanced state in which it is located. However, I don’t think Lomachenko is lying. Never about this.
None of the arrows is not popular for him. He comes from a long dismissal, in which the training was far from typical. It’s 11 years older than Haney. It is diminutive for division, while Haney crashes at the seams. What’s more, Lomachenko lost his aura of invincibility over two years ago, when Teofimo Lopez defeated him. But here is a really extraordinary introduction, at least for a warrior:
“Let me explain,,” said Lomachenko. “He is the undisputed champion. He is a party. [Gervonta] Davis or [Ryan] Garcia or Shakur [Stevenson]. “
We really can’t argue with it. In the meantime, however, Jamaine Ortiz, which – although no Haney – is, like most perspectives of Lomachenko opponents, larger and younger and longer.
So why orthosis?
“Because he is youthful and undefeated and technically qualified boxer. I earlier with him” – for the unanimous decision of Lomachenko over Richard Commey – “and it was not straightforward.”
Lomachenko was not among those like me who surprised that Ortiz defeated Jamel Herring.
“I understand what Ortiz can do: good combinations, very quickly. He felt the distance and worked very well on his feet. He understands boxing.”
This is the highest compliment of Lomachenko, which is a warrior. It means understanding the basic elements of distance, time, mental fortitude. It means understanding the fight as a sport, not war.
This marks the 27-year-old’s first victory since 2023, when he edged Oscar Duarte in the eighth round before his controversial fight with Devin Haney.
Despite a majority decision advantage over Haney, that result was declared a no-contest in April 2024 after “King Ry” tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.
Benn also failed a 2022 drug test ahead of his canceled fight against Chris Eubank Jr, whom he ultimately defeated in a middleweight rematch last November.
This followed a points defeat to Eubank in April 2025, although earlier this month Benn remained in the win column, ahead of Regis Prograis, who subsequently announced his retirement.
However, despite his last fight at 150 pounds, the 29-year-old now wants to capitalize on his No. 1 ranking in the WBC and fight Garcia.
I’m talking to ESNEWSformer two-division world champion Bradley gave Benn little more than a prayer against Garcia.
“Ryan knocks him out.”
As the top contender for the WBC welterweight title, Benn is expected to be ordered to fight Garcia in the not-too-distant future, even if ongoing negotiations fail.
Abel Mendoza’s undefeated streak will resume on May 16, and the fight against Javier Rodriguez will lead the Texan to 44-0.
The number is rising – the credibility is not.
On paper, the trajectory is clear and he is on track to have one of the most vital resumes in sports. But the deeper into the rabbit hole Mendoza goes, the more questions this recording begins to raise.
Mendoza is seven fights shy of Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 mark that defined the perfect newfangled boxing record.
However, as has been the case throughout his career, the details of this unique character tell a more complicated story.
World Boxing News has previously documented discrepancies in Mendoza’s record as fights were reviewed and added over time, including Colombia’s July 2025 result that officially moved him to 43-0.
The figure is now standing after being briefly removed, but tracking its depth has been with him the entire time.
Record vs reality
After signing a recent endorsement deal, Mendoza promised to step up. It must be admitted that Rodriguez is unique compared to some of the events he has attended in Colombia.
Premier Boxing Champions saw enough in Mendoza to bring him onto their roster. He was expected to make a evident leap in class, not just a marginal one.
When a boxer partners with PBC and Al Haymon, one of the top promoters in the United States, and then promises tougher tests, it’s difficult to consider this the Texan’s 44th fight.
Over the past few months, Mendoza has been calling out Isaac Cruz and targeting fights with Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero. The expectations were clear – but that’s not it.
But when it comes to naming opponents, it’s the same consistent story for Mendoza. Therefore, this latest venture does not provide the expected progress.
Score 43-0
Exceeding Terence Crawford’s 43-0 mark, which Mendoza achieved last year and can better next month at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, should have come with some sort of warning label.
The number itself has significance when compared to when Crawford retired, but context shows how much it actually means in the frigid lithe of day.
Crawford’s tally to 43-0 came against elite competition in multiple weight classes, which resulted in an undisputed success. In contrast, Mendoza’s track was built on activity and volume, often against the backdrop of padded slab opposition.
Several opponents came into this heat with lost records or constrained experience, which reinforced this pattern.
This vulnerability largely explains the reaction to the latest adversary.
The enemy is under the microscope
As it turns out, Rodriguez, who ironically shares the same “Pitbull” name as Cruz, arrives in impoverished shape after struggling through a six-year career that stalled in 2017.
He returned seven years later but failed to impress, and Mendoza would be only his third fight in nine years.
Rodriguez enters with a 17-3-3 record, but his inactivity and lack of progress leave grave questions about what he brings to the competition.
Less like a Pitbull and more like a Miniature Bull Terrier when it comes to its place in the grand scheme of the sport.
Finishes 50-0
Mendoza is getting closer to Mayweather’s 50-0 mark, but without the kind of decisive fights that gave the record any significance.
Previous WBN analysis has already shown how threats to Mayweather’s benchmark have come and gone, with fighters like Jaime Munguia and Gilberto Ramirez underperforming in the promotions and others failing to maintain the activity required to reach that number.
Mendoza is now in a different category – one where records continue to climb but questions remain.
Going 44-0 keeps him on track mathematically. Credibility is still not satisfactory.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Bradley said experience could prove to be a factor as Boots did not spend enough time in the final innings.
There is definitely some truth to the notion that we haven’t seen Ennis in a fight to the death, but there is also the risk of punishing a fighter for being too dominant.
“Yeah, I think experience might be a factor here, but I mean Boots isn’t used to going 12 rounds. Boots isn’t used to going 12 rounds either. He usually knocks these guys out before he goes 12 rounds,” Bradley told YSM Sports Media.
Bradley is right that Ennis didn’t spend a lot of time overdue in rounds, but that’s mostly because his shot selection and pocket awareness are so high that opponents tend to crack before they can test his engine.
While we didn’t see Ennis lose any strength, we also didn’t see him be the least bit winded or depressed. “An unanswered question” is not necessarily a sign of weakness; there is simply a lack of data because it was so effective.
Bradley also questioned the level of opposition Boots has faced, saying there is little material in the reports to provide evidence of elite level.
“When you look at the competition he faced, nothing jumped out as crazy.”
This matters because Ennis is moving to a stronger division where size, pace and resistance are more tough than at welterweight. Xander is younger, naturally bigger and at 154 years venerable he has already won titles.
Bradley still thinks Boots has a higher ceiling. He called him “extremely talented” and said he expected Ennis to come in and want to make a statement.
“I’ve got Boots. I just think he’s incredibly talented,” Tim said.
One thing that often gets overlooked in the 12-round experience debate is Ennis’ extensive amateur experience. While professional rounds are different, elite amateurs are accustomed to high-intensity, high-pressure environments. To most observers, Ennis doesn’t strike me as a fighter who panics, which usually causes a fighter to burn through his gas tank in the overdue rounds.
Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Opinions & Features1 year ago
MMA1 year ago
Results1 year ago
Results1 year ago
Video1 year ago
Analysis1 year ago
Video1 year ago
Results1 year ago