Groves: "Usyk is One of the Best"

Former British champion George Groves discussed the most technical boxer of the modern era on the Boxing Club podcast. He believes that Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) is that boxer, recalling a story from one of the amateur tournaments.

— Who do you consider the most technical fighter in the boxing world?

— Lomachenko was incredible. It seems to me he spent his entire career fighting opponents larger than himself.

— Tell us about when he was 17.

— Yes, we went to Morocco for the World Youth Championships under 19. We all got beaten. Honestly, we were all robbed. Cuba sent six fighters and was the best in the world. Better than any other country in the world. And they won five gold medals and one silver. One Cuban lost in the final to Lomachenko. And Lomachenko fought all the preliminary fights, quarterfinal, and semifinal as an orthodox, and in the final, he fought as a southpaw.

I kind of hated him. I thought he wasn't that good. When I watched his fights on tape, I thought, "He's really good, but he's in the flyweight division, and I don't care.

Sometimes Amir Khan was a fantastic amateur. He just had quick feet and quick hands. We all did everything we could to try to copy that. But you're not as fast as him, and you don't have the same success. And then, when Lomachenko came along, you want to copy his style, but think, "Where do you even start?". He was so good. It's definitely natural talent, but I also just think he was trained right, prepared over and over, and again. Because his coach trained Usyk too, and he's had the same success. Usyk is larger, but I think he's one of the best fighters in terms of technique at the moment.

Vasyl Lomachenko's next fight will be on May 12 against IBO lightweight champion (up to 61.2 kg) George Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs). The fight will take place in Perth, Australia.