Vasyl Lomachenko vs Nicholas Walters Analysis

Vasyl “Hi-Tech” Lomachenko 6-1(4 KO) vs Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters 26-0(21 KO)

A week after what was an exhilarating fight between two p4p great fighters in Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward, we boxing fans are blessed to be receiving another fight between two great fighters in Nicholas Walters and Vasyl Lomachenko. This fight was supposed to happen back in 2015 but certain issues(money not enough!) we are familiar with occurred and that fight was put on hold. But here we are in 2016 and these guys are still in their prime, so luckily we escaped the fate that befell other super matchups in boxing.

Vasyl Lomachenko had a remarkable amateur career which include Gold medal wins in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as well as the 2012 Olympics in London. After 2012 he decided to go pro but decided to take a completely atypical route. Usually, fighters work their way up to contention after double digit fights but Lomachenko decided he wanted to compete for a title very quickly and by his second fight he was fighting for a Featherweight title against Orlando Salido. It ended in a loss. It was controversial because while Lomachenko fought very well and even had Salido hurt in spots, Salido repeatedly threw low blows the entire fight. Since then, Lomachenko has dominated everyone with his spectacular skills, including winning titles against Gary Russell Jr. at featherweight and most recently a KO over Roman Martinez to win the WBO Super Featherweight title.

Nicholas Walters burst onto the scene after his knockout win over Vic Darchinyan to win the WBA world featherweight championship, but it was really his domination and knockout(to capture Super WBA Featherweight title) over former champ, Nonito Donaire, that really put him on the map. After that fight he sort of hit a snag coming in overweight against Miguel Marriaga and being stripped of his title. He’s had inactivity since then and especially since the fight against Lomachenko initially fell apart. He fought twice in 2015 and was pretty much dominant even though his last fight against Jason Sosa ended in a controversial draw. This fight against Lomachenko will be his first fight in almost a year so the ring rust there might certainly be a factor.

Lomachenko is such a dynamic fighter and possesses a diverse offensive repertoire. There’s so much variety in his punches as well as a good mix of dedication to the head or to the body. He’s almost reminiscent of Manny Pacquiao with his unorthodox angles. His footwork is tremendous and arguably the best in boxing. He’s so quick and always seems on balance and in and out of range in a flash. His defense and head movement is excellent. Great at countering, great boxing IQ is on par with the greats. A nightmare of a fighter. To beat Walters he needs to get in and out like he always does since he’s the faster fighter. I’ve noticed Walters is a bit tentative in spots and in those moments, Lomachenko will always win and get off first. Walters has a tight high guard and if Lomachenko can land combinations and get out that’s a recipe to rack up rounds. He can also exploit Walters’ tendency to get a bit wide with his power punches. What we saw in the fight with Salido was that a fighter who is on Lomachenko and willing to get dirty can be what bothers him. Walters is a power puncher but likes to fight from range more than anything.

Walters is also dynamic in his own right but more based off of his thudding power. He possesses a really powerful and accurate jab and a ridiculous 73” reach for a fighter in that division. He has a really powerful right hand that he loves to chop fighters down with. He’s a pretty decent counter puncher as well and possesses good speed. What is good about Walters is that he’s very responsible defensively and keeps his guard tight. He’s a really big fighter for this weight as well and imposes himself on everyone he’s fought. For Walters to win this fight he needs to pump the jab but not just look to box, try to get inside and rough Lomachenko up as much as he can. Cut off the ring and get him on the ropes and do work. The strategy worked for Salido(albeit low lows lol) and got him out of his comfort zone in their championship fight. I think that tendency is what I noticed most. Walters has the size, reach and power advantage so he needs to be pressuring non stop.

I’m picking to Lomachenko to win this fight. I think he’s way too skilled and speedy for Walters. That skill advantage will trump any size or power deficit he’s faced with in this fight. I expect a great fight because these are evenly matched fighters in their prime. Lomachenko by UD

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