Date: Saturday, April 8, 2017
WBO JR. LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT
Location: MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland, USA
Promoter: Top Rank / Bob Arum
Supervisor: Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.
Referee: Kenny Chevalier
Judges: John Gradowski (89-82), Ron McNair (89-82), Paul Wallace (90-81)
Results: Vasyl Lomachenko dominates Jason Sosa over nine rounds before Sosa’s corner stopped the fight, allowing Lomachenko to retain his WBO Junior Lightweight title.
TV: HBO
By Miguel Rivera –
There have already been a few upsets in 2017, and super featherweight contender Jason Sosa is ready to create another one.
This coming Wednesday he will travel to Maryland for the most important challenge of his career, when he faces WBO world champion Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) next Saturday night in an HBO televised main event.
“We are already finishing with the preparation, it was excellent, hard. The condition that I’m in has made me very happy and I’m ready for April 8,” Sosa told ESPN Deportes about the fight at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland “I am very grateful to Vasyl Lomachenko and his team for giving me the fight, but he is not a perfect fighter and we will see that.”
Jason said that he did a lot of work on everything… the physical part, the technical part, the speed, the defense, counter-punching, and everything that is necessary to beat a heavily favored fighter.
“Lomachenko is a fighter that you have to respect, he has brought good things to boxing but I am mentally ready. I have not been the favorite before, but I know that beating Lomachenko is going to change my life and that’s what I want. I want to be the best boxer in the world. I know I can reach my goal,” Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs) said.
“I have a little bit of everything, I am a boxer, I am brave, but above everything I am intelligent. I do not take anything away from Orlando Salido who already beat [Lomachenko] and he is a good fighter, but I have more than Salido and also I’m younger. This April 8th, Lomachenko is going to get shocked.”
Sosa, who vacated the World Boxing Association ‘regular’ title in order to take this fight, has no regrets over making that decision and hopes to claim a new world title for Puerto Rico.
Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank –
Undefeated champions and 2012 Ukrainian Olympic medalists Vasyl Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk and Oleksandr Gvozdyk hosted a media workout at World Boxing Gymnasium in Oxnard, Calif. on Tuesday. All three are in deep training for their title defenses, which will take place Saturday, April 8, at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD.
Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight world title against former World Boxing Association (WBA) super featherweight world champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs). 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk (11-0, 10 KOs) will be defending his WBO cruiserweight world title against Top-10 contender Mike Hunter (12-0, 8 KOs). 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KOs) will be defending his NABF light heavyweight title against Yuniesky Gonzalez (18-2, 14 KOs).
Vasyl Lomachenko: “Jason Sosa is very strong, is motivated, wants to win and he can fight all of the twelve rounds. It will be a hard fight. That I know.
“My top 3 pound for pound list is GGG, Kovalev and Crawford. I don’t want to be number one until I deserve it. That means fighting and winning against two or three world champions. After that I may be Number One but for sure not now.
“I like the weight division I am in. I have no problems making weight. I am not that anxious to leave my division and not sure I will ever fight at 140. It’s hard to look ahead but right now I am comfortable in my division where I have plenty of champions to fight against.”
Oleksandr Gvozdyk: “I am going into a serious fight against Yuniesky Gonzalez. He is strong, experienced, puts pressure on you, tries to drive you into the ropes. He’s a tough guy and I have to deal with him. I work hard every single day trying to be the best in my division.”
Alexsandr Usyk: “I have watched video of Michael Hunter and have a good idea of what he is all about. It’s going to be a great fight. As an amateur I was trained by the best – Anatoly Lomachenko – just look at who he has produced as great professional fighters.”
Lomachenko, Usyk and Gvozdyk were joined at their media workout by two-time Lithuanian Olympian “Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who will be on the April 8 non-televised undercard in a six-round welterweight bout.
“Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas: “I do get real mean the moment I leave the locker room, walk up the ring steps and get onto the canvas. And this is going to a big year for me. I am getting closer to my goal, a world title fight.”
The event has been sold out for weeks. Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Peltz Boxing Promotions, K2 Promotions, K2 Promotions Ukraine, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Kiddar, the three title fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
www.fightnews.com/Boxing/lomachenko-usyk-gvozdyk-workout-398592/nggallery/page/2