Vasiliy Lomachenko shines in round 4 KO of Anthony Crolla

Vasiliy Lomachenko proves that he’s still the best boxer in the world after an easy KO over Anthony Crolla. The question now is who’s next.

Anthony Crolla (34-7-3, 13 Kos) was rated by Boxrec.com as the third best lightweight in the world. He’s a former titleholder that’s known for being a determined boxer that doesn’t quit. Unfortunately, Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs) made him look like an amateur when they fought on Saturday, April 12.

Lomachenko was widely viewed as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, but his underwhelming performance against Jose Pedraza in December made some question his status as boxing’s king. He erased those doubts with his seamless destruction of Crolla.

In the ring before the opening bell, Crolla appeared confident and focused. His body was toned and ready for war, but he didn’t realize how outmatched he was in terms of skills and athleticism. Lomachenko made him pay for his miscalculation.

From the start of round 1 on, Crolla needlessly wasted energy. He bounced on his toes in place. Each time he hopped up and down, he exerted force but didn’t move anywhere. Lomachenko in comparison stayed relaxed and steadily walked Crolla down.

Crolla stayed in a high guard and was content with giving up ground to Lomachenko. He offered very little resistance which only emboldened Lomachenko. To make matters worse, Crolla already lacked knockout power with a career KO percentage of 30 percent. His lack of offense in the first round and beyond helped seal his fate.

Lomachenko didn’t land any devastating punches in the first round, but he found that he could easily hit Crolla with his right jab and right hooks to the body and head. Crolla couldn’t defend against his southpaw stance and Lomchenko used this information to his benefit throughout the short fight.

Ringside commentator Timothy Bradley said it best, Lomachenko was “downloading” information in the first round. He came out in the second at a slightly faster pace. Midway through the round, Lomachenko attacked Crolla’s body with right hooks. He mixed in the left uppercut for good measure. For the last 20 seconds, Crolla was trapped on the ropes absorbing Lomachenko’s punches. It was the beginning of the end and he didn’t even know it.

In round 3, Lomachenko came out like a man possessed. He landed a vicious three-punch combination in the first minute. He smelled blood in the water and his ferocity increased at a blistering pace.

While Crolla was trying to protect himself in a high guard, Lomachenko nimbly darted from left to right and beat both sides of Crolla’s head and body with hooks that went unanswered. It all came to a head with 23 seconds left in the round.

Lomachenko bombarded Crolla with left and right hooks, the majority of them landing. The ropes were keeping Crolla on his feet and the referee stopped the action and proceeded with a standing eight count.

Lomachenko jumped on the ropes thinking the fight had been stopped. Security even came into the ring, but referee Jack Reiss cleared up the confusion. The bell rang saving Crolla for the time being.

Crolla was in dire straits. His nose bled profusely while he was sitting in his corner. He still had a determined look in his eye, but he must have known that he was fighting a superior boxer. If he didn’t, Lomachenko made the point evident in the next round.

Lomachenko immediately resumed his assault to start round 4. In 20 seconds, Crolla was pinned against the ropes again eating punches at an alarming rate.

Less than a minute into the round, Lomachenko found the deadly combination that ended Crolla’s night. He landed a left hook to Crolla’s body and followed it with a right hook to the temple. Crolla never saw it coming, and he fell face first to the canvas after impact. He was out. Reiss waived off the fight knowing that Crolla didn’t have a chance of beating the count.

Lomachenko proved that he’s still the best boxer in the world. His knockout punch sounded like a baseball bat connecting with a softball. The thud that his glove made against Crolla’s head was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. He’s a fighter that all lightweights and super lightweights should fear. Someone will challenge him, but it’s hard to believe they have much of a chance of winning.