Vasiliy Lomachenko v Jamaine Ortiz

[Master]

Former unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday, escaping the war with Russia in his native Ukraine. On Wednesday, he landed a fight.

Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti confirmed to Yahoo Sports that Lomachenko will return against Jamaine Ortiz on Oct. 22. Moretti said the location is likely to be Las Vegas, but the site wasn’t finalized. He said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum wants to look at other options before making a decision.

ESPN first reported the Lomachenko-Ortiz match.

Ortiz is 16-0-1 with eight knockouts and is coming off his most notable victory, a 10-round decision over ex-lightweight champion Jamel Herring on May 21 at Resorts World in Las Vegas.

When Lomachenko let Top Rank know a month or so that he wanted to fight this year, the company’s matchmakers came up with a list of potential opponents, which included Ortiz. They sent those to Egis Klimas, Lomachenko’s manager, and he reviewed them with Anatoly Lomachenko, the fighter’s father and trainer. Anatoly opted for Ortiz.

The goal is for Loma to hopefully get a bout for the undisputed lightweight title with champion Devin Haney. However, Haney first has to rematch George Kambosos Jr. in Australia.

Loma hasn’t fought since a one-sided Dec. 11 unanimous decision victory over Richard Commey at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Moretti said that 2016 Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez would fight Jesse Magdaleno. He said it is yet to be determined when and where that fight will be held. It is a possibility, Moretti said, to be on the undercard of Lomachenko-Ortiz.

The location for Ramirez-Magdaleno will be determined by where the Lomachenko-Ortiz fight winds up.

https://sports.yahoo.com/vasiliy-lom...164437941.html

[Master]

Vasiliy Lomachenko will return to action on October 29 when he boxes Jamaine Ortiz at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

It will be the first time Lomachenko has boxed since December. Earlier this year he shelved plans to fight for all the lightweight world titles when he returned to Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

Now he can resume his mission to become a lightweight world champion once again. If he beats Ortiz next month, his promoter Bob Arum has assured him he will fight the winner of Devin Haney's undisputed title clash with George Kambosos.

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"I want to dedicate this fight to all my Ukrainian people. I wear the flag proudly every time I step in the ring," Lomachenko said.

"I love my sport, and I am so glad to be back. My goal is to win the undisputed lightweight title, but I will not take Jamaine Ortiz lightly. Madison Square Garden and Hulu Theater at MSG have been special places in my career, and I look forward to making more great memories on October 29."

Top Rank chairman Arum said: "Vasiliy Lomachenko is a credit to his country and the sport of boxing.

"When his country needed him, Vasiliy did not hesitate. We are thrilled that he is safe and fighting once again at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, his home away from home. Jamaine Ortiz is a young, hungry, undefeated fighter who understands that a victory over a living legend like Loma would be life changing."

Ortiz is an unbeaten contender who defeated former super-lightweight world champion Jamel Herring in May. Regardless of what Lomachenko represents, Ortiz is determined to be victorious. "I'm excited about this fight," he said.

"Vasiliy Lomachenko is a great fighter, but I'm here to win. Once I win this fight, I'm targeting a world title opportunity. This is a dream come true."

A former three-weight world champion, Lomachenko had lost his lightweight titles when Teofimo Lopez upset him in 2020.

Since then the Ukrainian looked impressive over the course of last year, beating Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey in 2021, the latter a former champion himself.

Top Rank president Todd duBoef previously told Sky Sports: "He wants those titles. He's been carrying that Teofimo loss for way too long. He thinks those titles should be back around his waist."

DeBoef also marvelled at Lomachenko's decision to step aside earlier this year and allow Haney to box Kambosos and become undisputed.

"Someone conceding their own legacy and something that they really wanted, which was all the titles, it was sitting there for him to have and he's [thought] I've got to put my own needs aside," duBoef said. "What he did was incredibly admirable.

"We just saw a real sign of altruism, a real sign of giving up and sacrifice for others."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...id=msedgntphdr

[Spicoli]

Loma and Arum should have aimed higher. Ortiz decent enough but you can drive a Buick through the gap in levels here as he was an 8 round fighter until 7 months ago. But he's spring boarding fresh off of beating the last days of a now retired Herring so let's see the major step up. Wouldn't be shocked to see the two clash heads either . Co main is the streaking Robeisy Ramirez in with another formidable "name" v Jesse Magdaleno. Could prove pretty brutal for Jesse.

[TIC]

i don't think loma takes it easy on his former sparring partner here & ends the fight in about the tenth round

[TIC]

four & zero prospect abdullah mason is on the card v fellow unbeaten four & zero angel barrera. i hope team mason are looking to rematch angel rebollar over a longer distance in the future

[Master]

MAIN EVENT: Vasyl Lomachenko vs Jamaine Ortiz
Robeisy Ramirez vs Jose Matias Romero
Duke Ragan vs Luis Lebron
Troy Isley vs Quincy LaVallais
Richard Torrez vs Ahmed Hefny
Abdullah Mason vs Angel Barrera
Nico Ali Walsh vs Billy Wagner
Haven Brady Jr vs Eric Mondragon
Delante Johnson vs Esteban Garcia
Lomachenko vs Ortiz: What’s been said?
Jamaine Ortiz: “I’m excited about this fight. Vasyl Lomachenko is a great fighter, but I’m here to win.

“Once I win this fight, I’m targeting a world title opportunity. This is a dream come true.

“I still got a lot of work to do. I’m just growing and going at the pace I’m going. I gotta learn quick, and I gotta pick things up a little bit.

“I’m not afraid of challenges, and I’m here to prove that I’m the best to myself, not anyone else.”

Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said: “I think a lot of the younger fighters look at Loma and they want to fight him now when they never did before because they know he has the big name, they see him as an older fighter and they think that maybe he’s stepping down or regressing a bit.

“You didn’t hear that talk two years ago. Teofimo back then is the only [elite young fighter] who stepped up and wanted to fight him, and Teofimo deserves credit for that.

“Loma’s all about the titles. His whole focus is on getting the titles back.”

Vasyl Lomachenko: “I’m going to do what I usually do.

“I’m going to do the best that I can do and show my kind of boxing.”

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...square-garden/