Enter the Matrix: How George Kambosos can beat modern day great Vasiliy Lomachenko

Vasiliy Lomachenko is one of the best boxers of his generation, but a man who has been in the ring with him says he can be beaten.

Brendan Bradford

@1bbradfo

3 min read

May 11, 2024 - 6:00PM

Vasiliy Lomachenko is one of the greatest fighters in modern boxing history. Picture: Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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Fighting Vasiliy Lomachenko is as much a psychological battle as it is a physical one.

Just ask former amateur star Lomalito Moala. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist found that out the hard way when he fought Lomachenko at the 2011 amateur world championships.

Boxing: Lomachenko v Kambosos IBF Lightweight World Title Fight | Sunday, 12 MAY 12PM AEST | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

And 13 years on, the Sydney-based boxing trainer still has vivid memories of the savage body shot that knocked him out in the first round.

Fighting Lomachenko, says Moala, is like fighting a video game.

“With his movement, he triggers you to want to throw punches,” Moala told this masthead. “He gets into this rhythm, but you don’t know when he’s going to come in and you’re just trying to track him.

“He knows how to be economical with his energy, he knows what he’s going to throw and what he’s going to do.

“He gets in this algorithm that he just knows what he needs to do and he has this level of focus.

“I remember throwing a couple of good shots at him, and he just didn’t get phased at all.

“Then he has this system where he throws, and the first two shots aren’t hard at all, but the third and fourth shots dig a bit more power in.

“He changes up through different gears and different variations in angles, so you don’t know where he’s going to go.”

The two-time Olympic gold medallist is regarded as the greatest amateur fighter ever. Picture: Nick Laham/Getty Images

Because of his next-level understanding of range, rhythm and timing, Lomachenko holds a huge psychological advantage over most of the fighters he faces.

“A lot of guys fold under the pressure against Loma, and looking back, I was a bit starstruck when I fought him,” Moala said. “There’s this aura about him.

“Fighters stumble against him because they give him too much respect and that allows him to do all that kind of stuff.

Moala (far right) with his bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He was beaten in the semis by future undisputed super-lightweight world champion Josh Taylor (far left). Picture: Matt King/Getty Images)

“And that’s where the psychology comes in, because he’ll make you believe the first two shots are the hard shots, but then he’ll sucker you into getting hit with the harder third and fourth shots.

“He’s psyching you out the whole time and he’s so good at it. He’s not the hardest puncher, but he’s very, very precise.”

The fighters who have the best success against Lomachenko are able to turn the bout into more of a physical battle.

That’s what Teofimo Lopez was able to do when he beat the Ukrainian in 2020.

And Moala, who trains one of Kambosos’ sparring partners, says he expects ‘Ferocious’ to be able to do something similar.

Kambosos and Lomachenko had to be separated at Saturday's weigh-ins. Picture: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

“George is going to go in and take it,” he said. “He has respect, but he knows that this one is for the ages.

“George will have to take the fight to him, track well and not let Loma get in his rhythm.

“George won’t give him the space.

“And, I think they’re both going to want to go at it, and I think that’s to George’s advantage. They’ll meet in the centre of the ring, and George is the fiery type and he’s not going to hang back.

“He’ll cut the space down and make sure he tracks well and he’s been performing well in training as well.”