Loma Stops Kambosos To Clinch IBF Belt

Vasiliy Lomachenko returned to championship glory when he clinched the IBF lightweight world title on Sunday after exhibiting devastating form to stop Australia’s George Kambosos in the 11th round in Perth. Lomachenko sealed the deal in the 11th round after dropping Kambosos several times before the fight was stopped by the ref. It was the first IBF lightweight belt in the glittering career of the former unified champion. “I’m again world champion. I want to come back home and spend time with my family,” said 36-year-old Lomachenko, who remained somehow reticent concerning his future. Kambosos, a former champion, was unable to reproduce the form from his famous upset of Teofimo Lopez in 2021 at Madison Square Garden making people wonder whether it was indeed a fluke. “He’s one of the best of all time. We tried our best, but he’s a true champion,” said Kambosos, who was defeated for the third time in 24 fights. Both fighters had a point to prove after losing to American Devin Haney in recent years. Kambosos who had predicted pre-fight to send Lomachenko into retirement came out aggressively and attacked the body of Lomachenko. Lomachenko is sometimes a slow starter as he takes a few rounds download data on his opponent before unleashing his own onslaught; although this tactic failed him when he lost to Teofimo Lopez. Lomachenko, however, got back into the contest through trademark lightning foot speed and counter-punching. Kambosos was resolute even and taunted Lomachenko after trading a flurry of heavy blows as the third round ended. The Aussie enjoyed massive home but alas, the fans cannot fight for you: once the bell goes, it's between you and your opponent. Their persistent raucous chants didn't stop Loma from doing his job. Lomachenko clearly dominated the fight in the latter rounds, with several hard left-handed blows leaving Kambosos with a bloodied right eye. Lomachenko thought he had knocked Kambosos down in the 11th, though it was ruled a slip, but then a vicious body shot did drop the Australian for an eight count. A couple of hard shots to the head and body of George Kambosos forced the referee to stop the fight at 2:49 of round 11 after Kambosos sank to his knee in his own corner, just moments before the towel came in from Kambosos’s trainer. The showdown had been a long time coming, with plans falling through in 2019 before a fight three years later failed after Loma returned home to his family because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The win puts Loma right back in the mix and could see him paired against Shakur Stevenson or in a rematch against Teofimo Lopez.