Vasyl Lomachenko destroys Anthony Crolla in four one-sided rounds to retain WBA and WBO lightweight titles
Brave Brit swallowed around 25 unanswered punches at the end of the third but was sent out again to be stopped in round four
VASYL LOMACHENKO confirmed his status as the planet’s best pound-for-pound boxer with a four round demolition of brave Brit Anthony Crolla.
Ukraine’s two-time Olympic king and WBA and WBO lightweight champion of the world defended his titles with a breathtaking blend of skill and ruthless savagery.
Manchester’s former champ went to Los Angeles as a 25-1 outsider but never had a shot at upsetting the bookies against the brilliant boxing machine.
In truth, the one-sided fight should have been stopped after the third when Crolla absorbed an avalanche of unanswered punches.
But referee Jack Reiss and Crolla’s trainer Joe Gallagher let the courageous slugger start the fourth, while still groggy and the 32-year-old was quickly left in a broken heap on the floor with blood smeared across his bruised face.
Southpaw Loma, as usual, started casually by edging around the ring and jabbing to assess the the range and threat from Crolla.
Early right hooks to the ribs and head from Loma were the first sign he might not be interested in a long night’s work.
On paper, Lomachenko should have been vulnerable to a straight-right hand but the few Crolla arrowed out early on failed to unsettle him and a second-round right hook to the ribs got no reaction.
A sensational combination, that ended in an uppercut, at the end of the second stanza was the first sign that Crolla was in trouble.
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Early in the third, a straight left from the three-weight king sent Crolla stumbling back into the ropes and in the final 30 seconds a 25-punch bombardment left the Brit appearing out on his feet.
Loma leaped on the ropes to celebrate a stoppage win but Reiss insisted the ropes helped the Englishman remain standing and let the action continue after the third interval.
But another crippling bodyshot robbed him of oxygen in round four and a right hook to the temple left him face-first in the canvas and needing medical attention with no count needed.
