Few people are giving Luke Campbell a fighting chance against three-weight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko on the Ukrainians fight on English soil since his second Olympic gold medal victory at London 2012. Can the Briton upset the odds and pull off a shock result at the O2 Arena?
There are a few similarities to draw from the two starts to the fighters’ careers. The pair both won gold medals at the 2008 European Championships in Liverpool and the 2012 Olympics in London before debuting professionally in 2013. As they stand face to face six years on, it’s fair to say they’ve had quite different journeys in the professional game.
Lomachenko, with a current record of 13 wins and one defeat has the most deceiving of records to date. Following an amateur career of almost 400 fights and only one defeat, the 31-year-old has won featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight world titles in his relentless pursuit of the #1 pound-for-pound spot.
Campbell, on the other hand, has had 22 fights in his six years as a pro, winning 20 times and losing twice. All in the lightweight division with one world title fight that ended in narrow defeat.
That defeat came via a split decision against Jorge Linares in a fight that Campbell controlled at stages and came within an inch of dethroning the Venezuelan. Linares only held the belt for eight months longer however, a spellbinding performance from a certain Ukrainian put him to bed in clinical fashion.
El Nino de Oro stands as the only common opponent between Campbell and Lomachenko to date, and the contrast in the two performances reflect the gulf in class between the two. On one hand, Lomachenko was dominant and controlling yet patient from round one and never looked back. On the other, Linares’ second round knockdown forced a slow start out of Campbell, who used his reach well throughout but struggled to consistently nullify the counter threat.
The Yorkshireman will need to use his height and reach advantage impeccably from the off if he is to really give ‘The Matrix’ something to think about. Campbell has shown signs of his ruthless nature in recent encounters with Troy James and Adrian Yung that both lasted five rounds, as well as his patient, methodical style displayed in the Mendy rematch. If he is to win tonight, he needs to channel both of these styles in a combination of explosiveness and efficiency before Lomachenko can install enough information into that ‘Hi-Tech’ robotic mind to pick him apart.
Despite being optimistic about Campbell’s chances, there is one surprising factor that sways the fight further in Loma’s favour: the venue. Upon his arrival in England, the Ukrainian has been given a hero’s welcome and rightly so given its comparisons to Muhammad Ali’s appearances on these shores in the Sixties. But this is Campbell’s home country, and he will be given a disappointing level of home advantage due to the admiration and respect his opponent obtains.
Have it in Hull, Leeds or even Manchester and you can promise a much different atmosphere come fight night which would be rightly in Campbell’s favour. Boxing is a sport fuelled by emotion and a packed out KCOM Stadium or First Direct Arena may well have given Campbell the 10% boost he needs.
Nevertheless, the fight will take place in London, and it is a fight I believe Lomachenko would win resoundingly regardless of the location. I expect Campbell to put in a fantastic performance and do about as much as he can, but there’s no stopping Lomachenko.
BehindClosedDoors’ prediction: Vasyl Lomachenko to win by KO/TKO in round eight.
BehindClosedDoors 