Vasiliy Lomachenko: First Masayoshi Nakatani, then Teofimo Lopez
Vasiliy Lomachenko wants a rematch with Teofimo Lopez more than anything else.
In the meantime, the he must settle for a scheduled 12-round comeback fight against contender Masayoshi Nakatani this Saturday night at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (ESPN+).
Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) is coming off his bitter disappointment against Lopez, who won their fight in October by a unanimous decision to become undisputed lightweight champion.
The Ukrainian veteran was strangely inactive in the early going before rallying in the later rounds to make it a competitive fight, although he lost by wide scores: 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112.
Afterward, Lomachenko, a southpaw, claimed to have entered the fight with an injured right shoulder that required surgery afterward.
Still, he insists to this day that he deserved no worse than a draw in that fight, which cost the now-33-year-old three 135-pound belts and his status as the No. 1 fighter in the world pound for pound.
He takes his first significant step in the rebuilding process Saturday, when he’ll face a fighter who lost a wide decision to Lopez in July 2019. Nakatani also was behind on the cards when he stopped Felix Verdejo in nine rounds this past December, which was a breakthrough victory for him.
Nakatani (19-1, 13 KOs) will have one advantage on Saturday night: He’s 5-foot-11½, 4½ inches taller than Lomachenko. However, a disparity in skill and experience has made him about a 10-1 underdog.
Lomachenko has said he wants to beat Nakatani more convincingly than Lopez did.
“I can’t wait to be back in the ring,” Lomachenko said. “I’m very excited and I want to show my best skills. I want to prove to myself, my family, my friends, my team who I am in the ring.
“He is a tough guy. He has the height and the reach. I think he is a very good boxer. That’s why he was my choice as an opponent.”
Lomachenko’s focus is on Nakatani and will be until he stops his challenger or he hears the final bell. Assuming he has his hand raised afterward, he can then start thinking about his primary objective: another crack at Lopez.
“I have a fight this Saturday,” he said, “and after that, we can talk about a rematch. I want it.”