Lomachenko vs Kambosos Jr: Insight, Prediction and Tips

Master technician Vasiliy Lomachenko returns to the ring this weekend, as he takes on George Kambosos Jr. in a lightweight world title fight.

Kambosos Jr. is putting his IBO world title on the line and the pair are battling it out for the IBF strap, which became vacant after former undisputed champion Devin Haney stepped up in weight.

Lomachenko has held the WBC, WBA and WBO belts previously, but lost them in an undisputed showdown with Teofimo Lopez back in 2020.

Kambosos Jr. then claimed those titles in Lopez’s next fight, but failed in his first defence as he suffered back-to-back defeats to Haney, who then went on to beat Loma.

These two fighters have had a few shared opponents, which means there is plenty to go at when trying to dissect this intriguing lightweight showdown in Australia.

Tip 1 – Fight to go the distance - Yes @ 33/100

Anyone hoping for fireworks between these two elite performers could well be left disappointed, but boxing fans can at least look forward to a high-quality technical battle.

Lomachenko’s 17-3 record is misleading as one of his losses came via split decision in just his second professional bout but in a contest that was still a world title fight. Meanwhile, his defeats to Lopez and Haney were both controversial - with many observers feeling the Ukrainian should have been the man with his hand raised on each occasion.

In any case, Lomachenko has never been stopped and only one man has ever come close to claiming an early finish, as Jorge Linares did score a knockdown in their 2018 meeting - but Loma went on to recover and record a 10th round TKO win.

Kambosos Jr. has a 21-2 record and both of his losses came at the hands of Haney, with both of those defeats on points.

Like Lomchenko, the Australian has only ever been knocked down once and considering how durable - and elusive - these two fighters are it seems likely that all 12 rounds will be required to determine a winner.

Tip 2 – Vasiliy Lomachenko to win by decision at 13/25

Kambosos Jr. is a quality operator and also boasts home advantage, as this bout will take place in the Western Australian city of Perth. Lomachenko though is a truly elite level boxer and should be able to avoid being on the wrong end of another upset here.

Lomachenko has a reasonable stoppage record with 11 of his 17 wins coming inside the distance, but only one of his last four wins has been a stoppage and five of his last six bouts overall have been decided on points.

Kambosos went the full 12 rounds and won against Lopez immediately after his win over Loma. The Sydney-native survived a knockdown in that bout, and Lopez carries more power than the Ukrainian, so if Kambosos is caught he may well still be able to reach the final bell at the RAC Arena.

There is an argument to suggest Loma may go hunting for an early finish here after being harshly denied wins against both Haney and Lopez previously. However, in both of those bouts he was perhaps guilty of taking his foot off the gas in the belief the fight had already been won in the latter stages.

The more likely scenario in this fight is that he maintains his intensity throughout against Kambosos Jr. and wins by decision, probably unanimously.