Vasyl Lomachenko Impresses in Pro Debut with Fourth-Round KO of Jose Ramirez

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If there’s one thing you took from last night’s pay-per-view bout between Vasyl Lomachenko (1-0, 1 knockouts) and Jose Ramirez (25-4, 15 knockouts) it was that Lomachenko is a special kind of fighter. Coming off of his second-consecutive gold medal at the Olympics, Lomachenko came into his pro-debut with a wave of momentum and confidence behind him. Some thought it was bold for Lomachenko and his handlers to take part in a 10-round fight for his debut, but all Lomachenko did was prove that ten rounds was far more than he actually needed.

The opening round between the two fighters pretty much sums up the story of the fight. Ramirez would come storming out of his corner in an attempt to smother Lomachenko and prevent him from making use of his superior footwork and overall technique. Ramirez threw one wild looping shot after another while Lomachenko resorted to brilliant footwork and slick head movement to duck and weave his way into Ramirez’ inside.

It was here that Lomachenko would unleash a quick and calculated series of shots that all managed to find their mark. One of these quick flurries left Ramirez on the canvas after Lomachenko caught him with a vicious body shot that seemingly came out of nowhere. After such a dominant first round, it was obvious that Ramirez was surprised, and that led to him coming out even more aggressive in the following rounds.

As Ramirez continued coming forward in his aggressive but predicatable manner, Lomachenko continued moving around the ring and keeping his composure until he found something to exploit. Ramirez continued in his onslaught of offense leading Lomachenko to throw a quick series of straights and hooks that all violently snap Ramirez’ head back. Ramirez seemed fine, but the power behind those shots was obvious to everyone watching.

Lomachenko continued stealing rounds from Ramirez thanks to his efficient offense, and his tactic of closing each round big is something that definitely carried over from his Olympic run. In the third round, Ramirez finally decided to mix up his offense, but all that means is that he continued in his wild approach except with a focus of Lomachenko’s body. Still, Lomachenko remained unfazed and continued picking apart the veteran.

The end finally came in the fourth round after Lomachenko unleashed a vicious volley of shots to the head and body of Ramirez. It was a final shot to the body in particular that sent Ramirez crashing to the canvas in a theatrical and violent manner. It was the kind of decisive win that a young fighter like Lomachenko needs, and the hype-train behind him is only going to grow.

Before and after the fight talks were around the fact that Lomachenko and his team would like to challenge for a title in their next few fights. That seems a little rushed for a fighter at this stage in his career, but after Lomachenko’s methodical dismantling of Ramirez it’s obvious that the one thing we can’t do is doubt his capabilities.