The road to a shot at the undisputed lightweight championship looks like a straight, if not particularly exciting, straight for Vasiliy Lomachenko. Simply defeat Jamaine Ortiz on Saturday (6:15 p.m., ESPN+) and Lomachenko stands in the lead to face undisputed champion Devin Haney in early 2023.
While looking past an opponent for bigger things down the road can come back to bite a fighter, it’s hard to imagine that Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) doesn’t view Ortiz as a particularly easy obstacle to overcome. cross. Bettors would agree, with Lomachenko sitting as a massive -2500 favorite to have his hand raised inside the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Since his October 2020 loss to Teofimo Lopez in a fight for three of four world lightweight titles, Lomachenko has returned to the form that has long placed him among the sport’s pound-for-pound elite. Lomachenko beat legitimately tough opponents Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey in his 2021 campaign and was set to face George Kambosos Jr., who won the undisputed lightweight title from Lopez.
Unfortunately, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lomachenko’s home country, derailed those plans and Haney stepped in to win two fights against the Australian.
“Sparring [against Ortiz] is different from the competition because our conditioning is not 100%, so Saturday night will be a very interesting fight,” Lomachenko said during the media day. “I’m focused on my job. I’m focused on my boxing. You can’t stop thinking about your country. It’s always in your mind. But now I’m focused, and I have to be focused because I’m an athlete. After the fight, I will return to Ukraine and support my country.”
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Despite the long odds, Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) is not an easy outing. He is coming off a career-best victory over former world junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring in May, a fight that sent Herring into retirement. A draw against Joseph Adorno and a win against Nahir Albright, both good results, complete Ortiz’s last three fights.
Ortiz is now ready to see just how well he can hold on to the elite. It was a moment that had to come eventually as Ortiz seemed to be struggling to make a decision between staying at 135 pounds or moving up to junior welterweight at 140 pounds. Both weight divisions are loaded with talent and there is no easy path to a title.
“I always wanted to fight Devin Haney,” Ortiz told BoxingScene.com. “I think it’s going to be a great match, and I see myself fighting Devin Haney. All the pieces of the puzzle are lining up and once I upset Lomachenko on October 29, me and Devin Haney will fight.”
Although Ortiz was never on the radar as an elite level prospect, he proved himself in the ring in every spot he was placed. Lomachenko is a different animal, one of the best fighters of his time.
The issues are clear. If Ortiz can pull off an upset, it would be an upsetting result that sets him up for big money fights. If Lomachenko can do what is expected, he could have a shot at becoming a four-belt champion.
Below is the full fight card for Saturday night in New York along with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before arriving at a prediction and picking the main event.
Lomachenko vs. Ortiz fight card, odds
Vasily Lomachenko -2500 | Jamaine Ortiz +1200 | Lightweight |
Robeisy Ramirez -2500 | Jose Matias Romero +1200 | Lightweight |
Duke Ragan -625 | Luis LeBron +450 | Lightweight |
Troy Isley -1600 | Quincy LaVallais +900 | Junior middleweight |
Prediction
Jamaine Ortiz is a good fighter. Vasiliy Lomachenko will defeat Jamaine Ortiz. Both of these things may be true. Ortiz has a camera-friendly style and a quality where he makes the most of what his opponent gives him. It’s a great thing for a young fighter who may not be considered an elite prospect and whose team is looking to protect their fighter as much as possible. The problem is that it’s hard to take what Lomachenko gives you when Lomachenko gives you next to nothing.
Against Lopez, Lomachenko took the “slow first laps” and “data download” approach we hear so much about and pushed them until it all broke. He simply gave a good fighter too many rounds and it cost him his titles. Time will tell how this fight stacks up on Lomachenko’s resume. How this fight affects how we view Lomachenko’s career won’t really be known for a long time when Lopez turns out to be either the Superman who took on Lomachenko or the delusional loser who showed up and was beaten by Kambosos. .
It’s hard to watch this fight and see where Ortiz has a path to victory. He’s not fast enough to get around Lomachenko’s technical skills and he doesn’t have the kind of high power that can make Lomachenko hesitate. It really depends on whether Ortiz is trying to force the issue or not on how quickly Lomachenko is able to end things. Pick: Lomachenko via TKO7
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