Lomachenko stops Kambosos, wins IBF and IBO titles

Vasyl Lomachenko (18-3) stopped local favorite George Kambosos Jr (21-3) in round 11 to win the IBF and IBO world titles in lightweight in weekend at “RAC Arena” in Perth, Australia.

The double Olympic gold medalist now have become four-time world champion in professional boxing in three different weight classes.

Lomachenko returned from a year-long layoff following a controversial loss to Devin Haney. 36-year-old dominated against Kambosos Jr. and in the round 11 he dropped the local favorite twice with body shots, and prompted the referee to stop the fight.

“My plan was to adjust to my opponent,” Lomachenko said after the fight. “This is what I did in the fight. Toward the end of the rounds I needed to finish strong. In the last three rounds, I was trying to find his body.”

Lomachenko also addressed a mid-fight tweet from Gervonta Davis saying the pair would fight next after Davis’s fight with Frank Martin next month.

“You know, during my boxing career I’ve never run around and I’ve always taken fights,” Lomachenko said. “After I rest a little bit, we can talk about the future.”

Kambosos shot to stardom with a stunning 2021 upset of Teófimo López for the IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight titles at lightweight, only to lose them in a four-belt unification bout with Haney the following year.

“This guy is one of the best of all time,” Kambosos said afterward. “We tried our best, but he’s a good champion. He deserves that belt. I gave it my all. I’m still alive, I’m still standing. I ain’t dead.”