What makes Vasiliy Lomachenko so good? Opposing trainers weigh in

Vasiliy Lomachenko is a human being but you wouldn’t know by the way he has overwhelmed most of his opponents.

The No. 1 fighter pound for pound – on Boxing Junkie’s list, at least – has a combination of sublime skill, ring IQ and experience that has made him one of the best fighters of his generation.

Just ask those in the opposite corner.

Boxing Junkie interviewed two trainers who worked the corner of Lomachenko opponents. Joe Gallagher trained Anthony Crolla, who was stopped in four rounds in April of last year. And Raul “Chino” Rivas worked with Jason Sosa, who lasted nine rounds against Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) in April 2017.

They described what they saw from the opponent’s corner and gave their thoughts on Lomachenko’s title-unification showdown against Teofimo Lopez Jr. (15-0, 12 KOs) Saturday in Las Vegas. Here’s what they had to say.

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JOE GALLAGHER

Crolla went down twice and was stopped 58 seconds into Round 4.

“You look at him and he’s so unassuming,” Gallagher said. “He makes everything look so easy. But, as Anthony said, ‘He made me feel suffocated in there. I had nowhere to go. He sucks the space and energy out of the ring.’ That’s what Anthony said. …

“It’s like playground stuff. He’s in spaces all the time, constantly moving his feet and making it look so effortless. I’ve been up against Andre Ward with Paul Smith and Canelo Alvarez with Liam Smith. And after Crolla against Lomachenko I walked away thinking, ‘Wow. What can you do?’ He’s just something very special in there.”

Did anything about him surprise you?

“Everyone looks at the first loss (Lomachenko lost a split decision to Orlando Salido in his second fight) and think you can drag him into a bit of a war. I think the bigger the challenge, the more he rises to the occasion. I know he’s talked about moving back down in weight. I do feel in the Luke Campbell fight (a unanimous-decision victory for Lomachenko) that Campbell had good success. I think Campbell had a moment late in the fight and then Lomachenko just came out and knocked him down [in Round 11]. When someone brings it, he responds.

“I do feel that in the Campbell fight Lomachenko was beginning to feel proper lightweight punching power and Campbell isn’t even known as a banger. He hit him with body shots off and on. While I was watching I was wondering whether this might be the beginning of a slide or whether he just landed a good shot. I think Lopez feels he’s getting [Lomachenko] at the fight time. That’s what makes this fight so fascinating.”

Is there any way to beat him?

“I think it would have to someone with a [Guillermo] Ridondeaux-type style [but bigger than Rigondeaux], someone with good hand speed, good power, who can change from left to right. That type of fighter might give Lomachenko a lot to think about. … Lomachenko drains the life out of you because you’re always thinking about what he might do next. To beat him an opponent would have to stay focused for 12 full rounds. And that isn’t easy to do.”

How do you see the fight playing out?

“Lopez has to have success early on, make his mark. If he doesn’t land early, if he doesn’t make a dent, I think Lomachenko will run away a bit because [frustration] can set in. Teofimo has the power to turn it around but I think he needs to make inroads early. He could bide his time, be patient, and then come on like a freight train and have Lomachenko hanging on. But that’s a risky plan. And it might be his plan. …

“It could be a little like Canelo [Alvarez] and [Amir] Khan. You have patience, confidence in your ability. Lopez has a very passionate corner. That comes from his dad. He doesn’t want to start panicking early. He has to keep believing that he can win rounds late in the fight. But I think Lomachenko is going to have a big lead. It could come to a point where [Lopez] has no chance of winning it. He’s marked up a little bit. And the ref or his corner calls a halt to the fight.”

That’s your prediction?

“Yeah. I think that’s what’s going to happen, a late stoppage. Maybe Lomachenko wins on points. I won’t be surprised either way.”

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RAUL “CHINO” RIVAS

Sosa was behind on all three cards when he was unable to continue after the ninth round.

“What makes him so good? His mind set. He has a vision and believes in it. When he gets into the ring, no one can take that away from him. He’s so strong minded that he’s able to execute his game plan over yours. …

“In the first round of our fight I thought we looked phenomenal. I was thinking, ‘OK, let’s see what happens in the second round.’ Then we got clipped [with a big punch in the second] and suddenly the game plan went down the drain. That’s what separates great boxers from other boxers. … Lomachenko is on a different level, something special, the kind of fighter you see once in a lifetime.”

Did anything surprise you about Lomachenko?

“He was so aggressive even though he’s not that big. He has the will that no one is going push him back. [Jorge] Linares was a way bigger 135-pounder than him and he was aggressive. He’ll do the same thing with Lopez. It’s part of his game plan. But he’ll give you a different angle every few seconds so you don’t have time to execute. You’re too busy worrying about [your] defense. That’s how he takes everyone’s game plan away.”

What would it take to beat him?

“Do you want me to be honest? A lucky punch from a banger. Teofimo could catch him if he uses the right angle, he could catch him with a good hook. He’s a bigger lightweight. That’s his only chance. Other than that, game plan for game plan, no one can beat him. I may be wrong but that’s how I feel. …

“Could Ryan Garcia beat him? Absolutely not. He’d kill Gervonta Davis. Devin Haney? He’d beat him. I don’t think anybody at 135 could beat him and he’s not even a 135-pounder. He’s a junior lightweight. …

“Do you know who might be able to beat him? Terence Crawford. He’s long, he has a good ring IQ. You need a good ring IQ and discipline. Crawford has that. I’ve noticed that Crawford takes a few rounds to adjust and by the fourth he gets going. A person like Crawford might be able to beat Lomachenko. The problem is we’ll never see that fight because of the weight.”

How would Lomachenko done against a prime Floyd Mayweather?

“I’ve studied plenty of fights. I’ve watched Lomachenko. He’d still do the same thing [against Mayweather]. Like I said, the only person who would have a really good chance against him is Crawford. I mean that.”

Do you think Lomachenko might be slipping based on challenging fights against Linares and Luke Campbell?

“People have to realize that fighting two big lightweights, one 5-10, the other something like 5-9, long guys, isn’t easy. Like I said, he’s a 130-pounder. There was no competition at 130 so he moved up to 135. Now another 135-pounder who bigger, younger is going to fight him. He was very impressive in his last fight [against Richard Commey]. He’s a good fighter. We’ll see.”

How do you see the fight going?

“I see Lomachenko doing what he wants, giving his angles, the beautiful speed, his power shots. Jason Sosa fought way better competition than Teofimo Lopez and Lomachenko had him going crazy. We did our best but …”