On the night of October 29-30, Vasyl Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) returns to the ring in New York. After a break of ten months, the Ukrainian will face American prospect Jemaine Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs). Vasyl had the opportunity to box for the status of absolute world champion, but the Russians intervened and the war they started against Ukraine.
Now Lomachenko will start the journey, of course, not from the beginning, but from the middle of the journey for sure. Ahead, at least, is a young avenue. As a maximum – a match for the absolute championship against an extremely difficult opponent.
So who is the favorite and by how much?
Of course, bookmakers consider Vasyl Lomachenko to be the favorite by several times. You can bet on the Ukrainian athlete at an average of 1.05. The American prospect is given approximately 9.0, and the knockout from Ortiz can generally be caught at a coefficient of 17.0.
Regardless of the facts about freshness, motivation, and lack of psychological pressure on Jemaine, the odds are justified. Loma's defeat will be the main upset of the year if it happens. Simply due to the fact that Vasyl is better in boxing, if not in all components.
What Ortiz is good at are his youth and physical strength. The American is not afraid to press, go forward, attack hard from both hands and push his interests to such an extent that opponents simply break down. Whether this will be enough for Lomachenko will depend not only on the American but also on Vasyl's physical readiness. Even if he is well prepared, it will not be enough.
Undoubtedly, Jemaine builds the attack well, including because of what Lomachenko said - a sense of distance and speed. The second doesn't impress too much, but it's enough to deliver your shots cleanly and hard if you have a sense of distance. So it just won't happen.
But this all breaks down to Lomachenko's level. You can treat Vasyl as you like, but all this does not cancel the fact of his boxing strength and general level, which is much higher than the level of his opponent. In such cases, boxers like Ortiz can win if they put in a lot of effort and catch the opponent when he is not in the best shape.
It is impossible to guess in what form Vasyl is now. Because he looked good before Teofimo López, and then it turned out that he had a shoulder injury and didn't do anything. Not to say that Lomachenko's boxing against Commie was somehow enchanted, but it was clear and sure. The same, plus endurance and physical readiness, will be enough against Jemaine Ortiz, and to get another chance to fight for the absolute.
However, this may not be enough against Devin Haney.