Lomachenko vs. Walters: Expert Picks for the Main Event
For the second weekend in a row, fight fans will be treated to an intriguing matchup between a slick boxer and a big puncher. Last week, it was Andre Ward's unanimous decision over Sergey Kovalev, and we'll see Vasyl Lomachenko take on Nicholas Walters on Saturday night.
Lomachenko's budding professional career has showcased the prodigious talent he displayed as an amateur, where he racked up two gold medals and an incredible 396 victories in 397 fights. He's 6-1 as a pro and will be putting his WBO junior lightweight belt on the line against his undefeated foe.
Walters may not be quite the student of the sweet science that Lomachenko is, but he possesses the great equalizer: one-punch knockout power. That's been enough for most people in and around 130 pounds to steer far clear of the Jamaican, and he hasn't fought since December 2015.
Will the long layoff keep Walters from landing a knockout blow? Will Lomachenko still seem untouchable after the toughest fight of his career? B/R's cadre of boxing experts is here to give their thoughts on what will go down.
Have some predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments.
Who Wins the Fight? When and How?
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Lyle Fitzsimmons: Truth told, there's not a fighter within 10 pounds who I can see having a chance against Lomachenko. Walters wasn't exactly impressive in his big-stage debut at 130, and given the level he'll need to be on simply to compete with the champion, it's not a rosy forecast.
Walters was a power hitter at featherweight and made his reputation with a punch-out of Nonito Donaire, but Lomachenko is far better at 130 than Donaire was at 126—not to mention faster and more skilled. He'll take over slowly but surely and ultimately stop his man around Round 10.
Kelsey McCarson: Lomachenko wins by unanimous decision. He's just too skilled for anyone in our around his division, except for maybe Guillermo Rigondeaux who Top Rank won't put him an against because they won't make enough money for the huge amount of risk. Walters is a really good fighter, and he has a lot of power. But Lomachenko will pick him apart and fluster him with speed and technique.
And Lomachenko has power, too—in both hands. Power is great, but being a precise puncher is more important. Lomanchenko is simply the better fighter all the way around, and he'll win handily.
Kevin McRae: Lomachenko is just too good technically to lose this fight. His footwork is the best in the sport, and he knows exactly where in the ring he needs to be two steps before his opponent can figure it out. That's the type of skill you can't teach a fighter.
Walters' boxing ability is underrated, yes, but he's going to find out very quickly that Lomachenko is a world apart from anything he's seen before. You can't hit what you can't find. Give me Lomachenko by wide unanimous decision.
Briggs Seekins: Vasyl Lomachenko is going to win this fight by late-round TKO. Nicholas Walter is a very good fighter, but Lomachenko is a great fighter. He will control the space against Walters and force the Axe Man to engage at medium range, where the Ukrainian star will be able to get off with heavy, scoring combinations.
Walters leaves openings for an opponent, and Lomachenko is the kind of fighter who will make an opponent pay for even minor mistakes. Walters will come out prepared for a physical fight. It will be exciting and even competitive in places. But Lomachenko is simply going to land too many good punches, round after round. By Round 9, Walters will be just about finished.
Jonathan Snowden: For a fight with fairly wide betting odds, according to Odds Shark, it feels almost too close to call. Lomachenko is one of the most technically gifted boxers I've seen in the decades I've been watching this sport. He moves with the grace of a dancer and throws punches in furious combination.
But for all his copious skill and amateur experience, he's never faced a boxer who resembles Walters. What's going to happen the first time the Jamaican star cracks him? The answer will tell this fight's tale. My instinct says Lomachenko weathers Walters and walks away with a unanimous decision.
The Moment We’ll Remember Most Is…
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Fitzsimmons: When Lomachenko breaks out of his shell after the fight and declares himself the world's best pound-for-pound fighter and says he'll take on all comers, including the likes of Mikey Garcia, Carl Frampton, Leo Santa Cruz and Terence Crawford. It sounds crazy, but he may be good enough to beat the lot of them.
McCarson: I think people will wonder why they thought this would be such a good fight in the first place. Lomachenko has risen to a very high level over recent fights. Quite frankly, he's superb. He'll dominate the fight and win fairly easily, save for the few punches he'll take here and there because of his natural aggression.
McRae: Just like in Kovalev-Ward, there will be a moment where Walters does land something significant and clean upside Lomachenko's head. The Axe Man is a huge puncher, so if he hurts the Ukrainian, we could have something. If not, he'll be in for a long night.
Seekins: Sometime by about Round 6 or 7, Walters will already be showing the signs of a bad night in the ring. His face will be coming apart and his pace will be badly slowed. Lomachenko will trap him in a corner or on the ropes at this point and really open up. Walters will manage to survive this onslaught, but everybody watching will know that the end is now inevitable.
Snowden: At some point Lomachenko will back Walters into the corner with precision punching, establishing a rhythm and pace. Despite himself, Walters will enter a comfort zone. That's when Vasyl will step nimbly to his right and change everything. It happens every time he fights, and it's never less than spectacular.
Will the Winner Become a Pay-Per-View Star?
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Fitzsimmons: Should he be a pay-per-view star based on his skill set? No question. Will he? Doubtful. Unless Lomachenko can land a far bigger fish than Nicholas Walters, he's doomed to a life of headlining World Championship Boxing shows against the flotsam and jetsam of the lighter weights.
McCarson: Nope. Lomachenko is awesome, but he's not anywhere close to being what his handlers hope he becomes: a cross-over star like Manny Pacquiao. In fact, Pacquiao is a good example of a little fighter who became big. But Pacquiao's fame and crossover appeal exploded because he fought such great competition (Eric Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera) and moved up several weight classes, too.
Lomachenko has a long way to go to become a PPV star. Right now, he just needs a big fight like he's doing now against Walters. He's probably one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, but he hasn't really defeated anyone yet to prove it.
McRae: You can expect that they'll try if it's Lomachenko. Bob Arum is riding high after Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas did better than expected in a PPV produced and distributed by the promoter without network help, so it wouldn't be shocking to see them push that same strategy here.
Seekins: I think Lomachenko is a potential pay-per-view star, but he is going to need either more time to build or an opponent who is as big or bigger than he is. Serious fans hold Lomo in the highest regard, and that will only grow after Saturday night.
But eight fights, even when they have been as good as Lomachenko's, is not enough time to build a PPV attraction. Another year or two and he could easily do a PPV against somebody like Mikey Garcia or Terence Crawford, though.
Snowden: A win for Lomachenko is the first step on the road to Manny Pacquiao. Should that fight happen, anything is possible. If Walters wins, he's likely to spend a couple of more years watching potential foes run for the hills.
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Who Will Lomachenko Fight Next? When and Where?
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Fitzsimmons: It's hard to fathom a three-year pro having a long-time rival, but it's surely the way Lomachenko feels about Orlando Salido, who beat him in a foul-filled brawl in 2014. Salido happens to be the No. 2 challenger to Lomachenko's WBO throne these days, and it'll be an itch the Ukrainian finally gets to scratch in Vegas in the spring.
McCarson: I want to say he'll fight Rigondeaux, but that won't happen. A rematch with Ordando Salido would be the next best choice. Salido handed Lomachenko his only loss, and revenge and/or redemption is now in order. How about Lomachenko-Salido in March? They could even rematch in San Antonio, where Salido used veteran guile and every dirty trick in the book to teach Lomachenko how professional boxing is different than the amateurs. It's a great fight.
McRae: Lomachenko definitely still wants to erase his lone professional defeat that came against Orlando Salido in his second fight and under shady circumstances. That rematch was hyped quite a bit after Salido's war with Francisco Vargas, but it fell apart over the summer. Let's hope it comes back and takes place in Los Angeles in March.
Seekins: Lomachenko will have good options in front of him for his next fight. A rematch with Orlando Salido, the only man to beat him, makes a lot of sense. But I am intrigued by the idea of him facing Manny Pacquiao. It is true that they currently campaign far apart in weight class. But Pacquiao is a tiny welterweight, and Lomo is destined to move up. I could see a catchweight being agreed upon for the two to fight. Top Rank would definitely love to see it happen. That fight would definitely happen in Vegas.
Snowden: I don't think Lomachenko is quite big enough for Pacquiao to gift an opportunity to. Instead, perhaps it's time for a rematch with Orlando Salido in Los Angeles early next year?
Who Will Walters Fight Next? When and Where?
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Fitzsimmons: Even with a loss here, it's not as if Walters is shot. He's charismatic and possesses legitimate skills, so it’s a sure bet his team will find a place (and a belt) for him quickly. Look for him to wind up in a ring with WBC champ Francisco Vargas sooner than later, maybe on a Manny Pacquiao undercard next year.
McCarson: As much of a curmudgeon as I have been lately, I would like to be positive in this case and offer this fight: Walters vs. Takashi Miura. That would be a knockdown, drag-out slugfest of pure awesomeness. It could be in Las Vegas in April 2016.
McRae: Walters got saddled with a draw he didn't deserve when he faced Jason Sosa last December. Sosa proved he wasn't just a fluke by immediately capturing a world title with an upset of Javier Fortuna next time out, so a rematch with Walters makes good sense and is a significant fight.
Seekins: Walter got absolutely screwed last December when he only came away with a draw against Jason Sosa. It was the worst decision I ever watched in person. Nobody I spoke with in the press section had it closer than eight rounds to two. Max Kellerman turned to us and signed "10-0" after the verdict was read. Now that Sosa has gone on to capture a world title at 130, I would love to see Walters get a rematch.
He isn't going to beat Lomachenko, but he is still one of the best in the world at super featherweight.
Snowden: Why not rematch here as well? Walters brutalized Jason Sosa last December but somehow walked away with a draw. I'd like to see that made right. That would be a good semifinal fight for a domestic HBO show next year anywhere in the country.
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