Rocky Martinez vs. Vasyl Lomachenko
Jack O’Connell, Staff Writer
This is an eh kind of fight. It’s not a mismatch or cherry pick of some sort. Its actually a quality title fight… but meh.
Vasyl Lomachenko is ridiculously skilled, a special kind of talent. Aside from Orlando Salido, Lomachenko has blown out all competition thrown at him.
Roman Martinez is a solid fighter, but solid won’t cut it against technical mastery.
I really dont have much to say about this fight. Martinez will pressure, but Lomachenko will put on a show. Lomachenko will turn Martinez all night, constantly changing angles and grilling him with power shots.
Martinez is vulnerable to body shots; expect Lomachenko to cut him down and finish him in the later rounds, with one final left hook to the body.
Lomachenko by BODY SHOT KO.
Prediction: Lomachenko
Liam Brady, Graphic Designer/Staff Writer
I see Rocky Martinez plodding towards Vasyl Lomachenko with a high guard, trying to be the aggressor, in order to pressure, and provide Loma with discomfort.
Though Lomachenko’s artistry will shine as per usual, and his superb use of angles will allow him to tee off on Martinez, who will not be able to land many shots on the elusive Loma.
I see a repeat of this every round, en route to a massive unanimous decision for Lomachenko.
Prediction: Lomachenko
Alan Garcia, Staff Writer
Vasyl Lomachenko’s career is like a rocket-ship shooting so far up the ranks, the sky is the limit. Although his record stands at 5-1-0, 3 KOs and looks relatively inexperienced, Lomachenko has already faced top elite opponents most fighters his age wouldn’t dare facing that early in their careers.
Lomachenko shouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating Rocky Martinez. Everyone knows that when someones odds are low, they will throw all they can and as hard as they can, for a winning chance.
Martinez has proven himself before, accomplishing what Lomachenko couldn’t do by beating Orlando Salido twice and thats what makes this fight and intriguing one to watch.
Prediction: Lomachenko
Robert Contreras, Staff Writer
Vastly Lomachenko is a boxing marvel. The last time Rocky Martinez squared off with a calculated boxer, he was tuned by Mikey Garcia.
Lomachenko will box rings around this man to make history, breaking Naoya Inoue’s record to two divisional titles.
Prediction: Lomachenko
Amber Williams, Photographer
Prediction: Lomachenko
Brandon Glass, Staff Writer
Rocky Martinez is a flawed, but capable champion with tons of experience at the world level. Vasyl Lomachenko is a phenomenal talent that could make history (again) with a win over Martinez.
Martinez will look to use his experience to leverage himself in this fight, but I think Lomachenko has too many physical gifts to be quelled by what the champ has to offer.
Not to mention, Martinez is a plodding aggressor looking to walk Lomachenko down. Unfortunately, that plays right into the Ukrainian’s skill sets as he’s adept counter puncher with great footwork.
Lomachenko figures out Martinez by the fourth and stops him shortly thereafter to win his second title and rewrite the history books once more.
Prediction: Lomachenko
Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer
Vasyl Lomachenko takes on Roman Martinez Saturday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Featherweight world titleholder Lomachenko is moving up to junior lightweight to challenge Puerto Rico’s titleholder Roman Martinez.
Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs) lost a split decision against Orlando Salido, in a featherweight title bout in his second pro fight in 2014; while Martinez (29-2-3, 17 KOs) won his junior lightweight belt from Salido last year and then fought him in a rematch which ended in a draw.
While it is clear to see Martinez has more professional experience in the ring, Lomachenko holds an amateur record of 396-1.
Martinez is going into Saturday night’s fight with a slight height and reach advantage, but in all honestly I don’t think that is going to help him out too much. I believe Martinez is an extremely tough opponent, but with that being said, I don’t foresee Lomachenko having any trouble beating Martinez.
On paper, this is not a mismatch, but with Lomachenko’s skills, it might wind up looking that way Saturday night.
Prediction: Lomachenko
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
This is a good scrap. Rocky Martinez might not be a world beater, but he can hang with the best of them–if not beat them. Rocky Martinez is 1-0-1 against Orlando Salido, and we saw Salido give Francisco Vargas hell last week, so that’s no feat to roll your eyes at.
But, while Vasyl Lomachenko dropped a decision to Salido in his second pro fight, I think he has come a long way since then and is going to give Martinez fits.
Forget the “amateur great” label if you must, but Lomachenko has shown he is a crafty professional and can be one of the best in the world. I think it’ll be fun early, but Lomachenko will break Martinez’s spirit in the middle rounds and make history on Saturday night by snagging his second title against a tough, but outgunned Martinez.
Prediction: Lomachenko
