Vasyl Lomachenko will defend his WBO and WBA lightweight belts, whilst attempting to claim the vacant WBC crown in London on August 31st.
The Ukrainian superstar, who is riding high in the pound for pound rankings, is set to make his United Kingdom debut in the pro ranks.
His opponent will be fellow-Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell. The Hull man is currently WBC ranked number one contender.
Campbell was due to earn a shot at Mikey Garcia until the Mexican-American moved up in weight. Lomachenko then lobbied the World Boxing Council to be the replacement.
President Mauricio Sulaiman agreed to Lomachenko’s wishes to fight for the coveted green and gold belt. This is due to Lomachenko’s stature in the sport.
‘Hi-Tech’ has already won world titles in three divisions since turning pro back in 2013. Prior to his stint in the paid ranks, Lomachenko put together an amazing amateur record of over 400 wins against a solitary loss.
In his attempts to fully claim all the straps at 135 pounds, ‘Loma’ now heads to the UK capital.
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The event is set to be broadcast on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK. A host of Matchroom prospects are expected to feature.
Josh Buasti, Josh Kelly, Joe Cordina and more will be hoping to join Campbell on the bill. Dave Allen, Lawrence Okolie and Conor Benn may also push promoter Eddie Hearn for a piece of the action.
On the back of a failed attempt to take Jorge Linares’ world title in 2017, Campbell will begin a huge underdog. Especially when Lomanchenko impressively stopped Linares in their meeting.
‘Cool Hand’ has two defeats on his 22-fight record. He finds himself unlucky to have such a massive task in front of him.
American Devin Haney or Zaur Abdullaev from Russia, rated two and three by the WBC, would have been the more fanciable foes had Lomachenko not muscled in.
An official announcement on Lomachenko v Campbell is expected any day now.
