On the night between 29 and 30 October, Vasily Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) returns to the ring in New York. After a ten-month hiatus, the Ukrainian will face American prospect Jemaine Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs). Vasily could be boxing for absolute world champion status, but the Russians stepped in and the war began against Ukraine.
Now Lomachenko will start the course, of course, not from the beginning, but certainly from the center of the course. In front, at least, a young avenue. At best: a duel for the absolute championship against an extremely difficult opponent.
- All the brightest moments of the battle are available in the mode Live в Telegram Sport.ua
Lomachenko had the opportunity to box for the overall championship. But he will meet a former sparring partner
Jemaine Ortiz, 26, has no defeat and only one draw against fellow but younger prospect Joseph Adorno. Visually, his record looks even better than a future opponent’s record.
Also, Ortiz knows Lomachenko. And not because they took pictures or talked somewhere. The Ukrainian’s fists reached the American’s face and body and vice versa. In preparation for the last fight against Richard Commey, Lomachenko fought with different perspectives: they came from other weight classes, significantly taller or with much longer arms. Among them was Jemaine Ortiz, exactly the same height (173cm each) as the boxer from Ghana, but with slightly shorter arms: five centimeters (175cm for an American versus 180cm for a Ghanaian).
It turns out that the American met Lomachenko not so long ago and has an idea of the abilities of the Ukrainian athlete. Just like Vasily, he understands exactly who he’s going to box against. True, since the fight against Richard Commey, the Ukrainian has not entered the ring. In addition, Vasily suffered the fate of other Ukrainians – a war broke out in the country, and this is a huge moral blow and a chance to lose physical shape than before.
Ortiz, on the other hand, has successfully held the loudest confrontation of his career so far. On May 21, 2022, Jemaine knocked out Jemel Herring, the former captain of the US boxing team and former professional world champion. Of course, herring is no longer the same. At the time of this fight, the American was not long ago badly beaten by Shakur Stevenson and the transition to light weight didn’t work. So much so that after losing ten rounds, Jemel has decided to retire from boxing entirely.
Ortiz on the rise. A few months after actually ending his solid boxing career, a career number one bout is now on the way. Winning will give Jemaine title chances and great opportunities, and losing won’t come as a shock. It turns out that there is no risk and dividends can be received, without exaggeration, ten times more.
Understands the level of the opponent and the Ukrainian:
“I have already fought with this guy, he is in excellent shape, very technical, with speed, he feels the distance. Next opponent? You never know what will happen tomorrow. That’s why I never look ahead. I’m just doing my job. As always, I will try to show my best side, the best style, the best qualities, “said Lomachenko.
In turn, Lomachenko is near the end of his career. Any defeat can be the last, the authority is astounding, even if everyone understands what kind of talent this athlete is. And if a potential defeat in a duel for the overall world champion title is a personal tragedy, you still can’t lose to Jemaine Ortiz. Fans will not understand, Americans will not understand, and they will want to turn Lomachenko into that same person with a name that promising young people will be put against.
True, there is little chance of this. At least not this time.
So who is the favorite and by how much?
Of course, bookmakers consider Vasily Lomachenko to be the favorite by a margin of several times. He can bet on a Ukrainian athlete with an average of 1.05. On the American perspective, they give about 9.0 and for an Ortiz knockout, you can generally take a coefficient of 17.0.
Despite the facts regarding freshness, motivation and lack of psychological pressure on Jemaine, the odds are justified. Loma’s defeat will be the biggest upheaval of the year, if it ever happens. Just because Vasily is better at boxing in almost every component.
What Ortiz is good at is youth and physical strength. The American is not afraid to pressure, move forward, attack hard with both hands and push his interests so hard that opponents simply collapse. Whether this is enough for Lomachenko will depend not only on the American, but also on Vasily’s physical readiness. If he is well prepared, it will not be enough.
Obviously, Jemaine builds an attack well, also because of what Lomachenko talked about: a sense of distance and speed. The second doesn’t hit too hard, but just enough to deliver clean, hard punches with a sense of distance. So he just won’t do it.
But everything breaks down at Lomachenko’s level. You can treat Vasily however you like him, but all this does not negate the fact of his boxing strength and the general level of him, which is much higher than the level of the opponent. In cases like this, boxers like Ortiz can win if they put in a lot of effort and capture an opponent at a time when he’s not at his best.
It is impossible to guess in what form Vasily is now. Because he was fine in front of Teofimo Lopez, and then it turned out that he had a shoulder injury and did nothing. Not to say that Lomachenko’s boxing against Commey was somehow enchanting, but it was understandable and confident. This, in addition to stamina and fitness, will be enough against Jemaine Ortiz and to have another chance to compete for the absolute.
True, this may not be enough against Devin Haney.
Sport.ua will hold Online broadcast text of the fight Vasily Lomachenko – Jemaine Ortiz.
Sport.ua forecasts: Lomachenko wins by knockout in the seventh round
Vasily Lomachenko vs. Jemaine Ortiz will take place on the night between 29 and 30 October in New York. The fight will start provisionally at 07:00 Kiev time.
