THE greatest show in the sport of boxing takes centerstage again today, and those of you who have been following this column know that I am referring to none other than Vasyl Lomachenko. Currently boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, he will square off against UK’s Luke Campbell who comes in with a record of 20-2, (16 KOs.)
If you deign to call yourself a boxing fan, but do not know who Loma (13-1, 10KOs) is, then I can personally guarantee that in the afterlife, St. Peter himself will give you the smacking you so thickly deserve and you will be reborn as Gennady Golovkin’s gumshield.
Or Deontay Wilder’s spit bucket. Or... you get the point.
LOMA. Certainly the most talented fighter in recent years, Loma’s style of fighting has been described as poetry in motion. His matrix-like moves leave opponents pawing at nothing but thin air, but then he also attacks viciously and effectively.
Whereas Floyd Mayweather Jr.--as talented and as great as he is--also made opponents look bad, the difference between the two is that Floyd fought not to get hit, but Loma actually fights and still doesn’t get hit.
No disrespect to Campbell who is a pretty good fighter himself, but he gets a free boxing lesson today and loses via a wide unanimous decision.
SHS-ATENEO CESAFI VARSITY. I am reaching out to you as a sportswriter, and as a fellow alumnus. I have heard your morale is quite low with the tragedy that befell Christian Lumapas and his family.
As a father of three young children, I share that same fear and sense of dread.
We as a community are one with you in grief and despair. But somehow you have to rally behind Christian and find strength from each other. Build upon how he touched your lives and what he meant to you as your teammate and brother.
On this note, the great Joe Frazier famously said, “Life doesn’t run away from nobody. Life runs at people.”
What he meant was that life is there to be dealt with. We have to be constantly ready because you don’t know what life throws at you next. As athletes you guys would know what this means. Christian would have wanted you guys to always be at your best.
So continue to love God, country, your family, and be the best you can be. Learn to roll with life’s punches and don’t forget to say your prayers.
VERBATIM. “Campbell has a great chance of winning, and don’t be shocked if he puts Lomachenko down like I did”- Jorge Linares who scored a knockdown against Vasyl Lomachenko (www.theguardian.com)
LAST ROUND. It’s on Bryce Yunam, member of the Cesafi varsity team of SHS-AdC, Christian’s classmate, who recently turned 18 this week. Heads up, Bryce, you have a world out there to conquer. Cheers!