Vasyl Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez
18th October 0400hrs
Boxing – Las Vegas – Title Fight
Pick Lomachenko by decision
Bookmaker Ladbrokes
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 02:51 GMT Saturday, 17th October
The impressive Vasyl Lomachenko will look to extend his already brilliant career when he gets back into the ring on the weekend.
In Las Vegas, the 32-year-old champion will be putting all his belts on the line against young American upstart Teofimo Lopez.
In the build-up all of the talk has been done by the young challenger, but will his fists be able to do the talking in the ring?
Table of Contents
Vasyl Lomachenko Preview – Lomachenko to silence Lopez?
Ukraine boxer Vasyl Lomachenko has quietly put together an absolutely astonishing career. It ranks up there among the best.
As a late-comer to the professional scene (he didn’t start until he was 25 years old) he has taken a W14 L1 record.
Each of his previous 15 professional fights has all been title ones as well.
The one defeat that he suffered was back in March 2014 when he suffered a split decision reserve against Orlando Salido.
That means that he has won his last thirteen title fights on the bounce.
The most recent of those fights was against Britain’s Luke Campbell in August last year when he retained three belts and collected the vacant WBC lightweight title to boot.
For the weekend’s fight against Lopez, Lomachenko is putting three belts on the line WBA, WBO and The Ring lightweight titles.
From the opposite corner of the fight, he will be looking to gain Lopez’s IBF lightweight title.
The Ukrainian is the strong odds-on favourite in the match outright at 2/9 not offering great value for punters* (odds taken 02:51 GMT Saturday, 17th October).
This is a lightweight fight and therefore we aren’t really going to be taking a long hard look at a knockout finish.
A Lomachenko by Decision or Technical Decision is a 10/11 option for boxing betting and that looks to be much better value* (odds taken 02:51 GMT Saturday, 17th October).
Only two of Lomachenko’s last eight fights has been finished by a TKO or KO.
He is fighting a much younger, versatile opponent on Saturday, so we can see it going the distance.
Teofimo Lopez Preview – Can Lopez back up the smack talk?
For some reason, Teofimo Lopez seems to have made this fight and opposition of Lomachenko very personal.
This is the biggest fight of his career and he is certainly not a guy that is short on confidence at all.
He played himself into this position by taking the IBF lightweight title in December last year against Richard Commey.
Lopez ended that one with a highlight-reel right hand, finishing off his opponent in the second round by TKO.
So now he has been propelled up the ladder big time, but the American is a 13/4 underdog for the contest* (odds taken 02:51 GMT Saturday, 17th October).
It is an unbeaten 15-0 career record that the 23-year-old has taken, but he has faced no-one of the calibre of his Ukrainian opponent on the weekend.
But he is ranked the second-best current lightweight by The Ring.
Twelve of the fifteen wins that Lopez has taken have been by a knockout.
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Teofimo Lopez has produced some crushing stoppages in his career and that may be his best way to victory.
But he is not facing an orthodox opponent on the weekend, as Lomachenko publicly practices some unusual training techniques to get ready for his fights.
The most interesting thing about this fight is how much Lopez’s youthful exuberance is going to carry him in this fight.
He has the power in his right hand, but does he have the craft to open up the defence of the Ukrainian and get himself in the fight?
Vasyl Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez Betting Advice
Lomachenko is one of the best in the business without question.
He is tough, solid and has a tremendous ability to land his range.
We have to go with the Lomachenko by Decision or Technical Decision option at 10/11* (odds taken 02:51 GMT Saturday, 17th October).
It looks to be the best value option pick in boxing betting for this intriguing bout.
Key Facts – Vasyl Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez Betting Tip
- Vasyl Lomachenko has won his last 13 fights
- Vasyl Lomachenko puts three belts on the line in the fight
- Teofimo Lopez puts an unbeaten career on the line
Lopez does carry a threat, he is massively energetic and has thrown some brutal right-handers in this career.
But the level of opposition that has so far faced has been nowhere near the quality of Lomachenko.
Also, there is the question of inexperience. Lopez has fought 60 rounds of professional boxing, which is less than half of the amount Lomachenko has been in.
The best betting odds for Vasyl Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez
Vasyl Lomachenko to win: 2/9 at Bet365
Teofimo Lopez to win: 13/4 at Bet365
