Vasyl Lomachenko
Lomachenko has a 9-1 record in boxing Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Lomachenko will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against Rigondeaux on 9 December.
  • The Ukrainian is considered to be one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the sport.

WBO junior lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko is looking to make a statement when he defends his title against Guillermo Rigondeaux on 9 December in New York City.

The two Olympians will face off in what is expected to be one of the most intriguing boxing match-ups yet with the undefeated Rigondeaux (17-0-1 record in boxing) moving up two weight classes to take on Lomachenko.

Lomachenko (9-1 record in boxing) – who is known for his aesthetically-pleasing style and showboating – is, however, wary of the credit he will receive even if he defeats Rigondeaux.

"[Rigondeaux] is shorter and smaller than I am," Lomachenko said, as quoted on BoxingScene. "No matter how I will lead this fight, I will not win anything in the eyes of the critics.

"In the eyes of the haters, after the fight they will say, 'Well, who cares if he won [he's bigger].'"

The Ukrainian, though, is ready to take on "El Chacal" at Madison Square Garden as he outlined how he plans to win the contest.

"There are two boxers in the ring," he explained. "He may do anything he wants in the ring. I will try to win colourfully and brightly.

"I will be boxing my own style. I will be trying and working hard to simply squash him!"

Lomachenko is considered by many as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the sport, with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum recently comparing him to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

However, his goal is to become the undisputed number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world and he believes he needs to defeat certain opponents in order to make that a reality.

"[To get to number one] the fights I need to have are with Mikey Garcia, Jorge Linares and probably Miguel Berchelt," Lomachenko said.

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