Vasyl Lomachenko vs Jose Luis Ramirez

Only in the record books was this an ordinary professional debut. Vasyl Lomachenko entered the paid ranks at the age of 25 as a double Olympic champion and twice a world amateur champion, then was matched over ten rounds against Mexico’s José Luis Ramírez, an established professional with 28 contests behind him. Their featherweight bout, for the vacant WBO International title, took place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Nevada on the undercard of Timothy Bradley’s championship meeting with Juan Manuel Márquez.

Lomachenko had also boxed in the five-round format of the World Series of Boxing, and there was little in his conduct to suggest a novice learning a new trade. The Ukrainian southpaw began behind a quick right lead, moving laterally and stepping around Ramírez rather than retreating in straight lines. Ramírez, an orthodox boxer accustomed to longer professional contests, attempted to press forward and make the newcomer work at close quarters. He found Lomachenko difficult to hold in position. The Ukrainian altered his distance after punching and was generally beyond reach before Ramírez could reply.

The first serious blow settled the pattern of the contest. During the second minute of the opening round, Lomachenko drove a left hand into the body and dropped Ramírez. It was a compact punch, delivered without a wide swing, and it caught the Mexican as he tried to close the distance. Ramírez rose and continued, but the knockdown obliged him to approach with greater caution. Lomachenko did not rush after him. He resumed his measured advance, touching with the jab, changing the angle of attack and looking repeatedly for openings beneath the elbows.

Ramírez remained willing in the second round, but willingness brought him little success. When he stepped forward, Lomachenko met him with straight punches or turned him before the Mexican could set his feet. The debutant’s hand speed was evident, although it was his balance and positioning that caused the greater difficulty. He could strike in short combinations and finish outside Ramírez’s line of return. Ramírez tried to reduce the room between them, but his attacks were largely smothered or made to fall short.

The third followed much the same course. Lomachenko landed cleanly with both hands, varied his work between head and body and gave Ramírez few stationary targets. There was no unnecessary hurry in his boxing. He was content to win the exchanges, draw the Mexican forward and resume from another position. Ramírez continued to pursue, but he was increasingly being made to reset before throwing, while Lomachenko dictated both the range and the pace.

Ramírez showed no inclination to withdraw in the fourth and continued trying to force a contest at closer quarters. Lomachenko remained composed, blocking or slipping much of the incoming work and answering with shorter, more accurate punches. In the closing seconds, he found the body again. A left hand sent Ramírez down for the second time, and the Mexican was unable to recover before the count was completed. The official finish came at 2 minutes 59 seconds of the fourth round.

The result gave Lomachenko a knockout victory and a regional WBO belt in his first appearance as a professional. It also confirmed that his handlers intended to advance him at a pace rarely attempted with a newcomer. The opponent had been experienced enough to test his adjustment to professional conditions, yet Ramírez never found a reliable answer to the Ukrainian’s footwork, accuracy or body punching. Within five months, Lomachenko would challenge Orlando Salido for the WBO featherweight championship in only his second official professional contest.

I never regarded Vasyl Lomachenko as a professional novice. By the time he faced Jose Luis Ramirez, he had won two Olympic gold medals, two world amateur titles, and boxed five-round contests in the World Series of Boxing. He understood distance, pace and physical pressure better than most seasoned professionals. This was a debut only in the official sense.

What impressed me was not the hand speed everyone talked about, but his positioning. Lomachenko stepped outside Ramirez’s lead foot, punched from angles and moved before the Mexican could set himself. Ramirez was an experienced professional and came forward honestly, but he was constantly having to reset. The first round knockdown came from a straight left to the body, delivered without loading up. That told you Lomachenko already understood where professional fights are often won.

He controlled the next two rounds without wasting punches, then returned to the body in the fourth. Another left put Ramirez down near the bell and finished matters. Ramirez was no world beater, so I would not pretend this proved Lomachenko was already the finished article. What it did prove was that keeping him on the usual four and six-round apprenticeship would have been pointless. He was ready to be moved quickly, although his next fight against Orlando Salido showed that elite professional experience still contained lessons the amateur ring could not teach.