Lomachenko-Walters Set To Throw Down In November
By: Sean Crose
Boxing got some much needed good news on Tuesday (it’s been in a doldrums worthy of Coleridge lately) when word arrived that Ukrainian vunderkind Vasyl Lomachenko will be facing hard hitting Montego Bay native Nicolas Walters on November 26th in Vegas. The scrap will be for Lomachenko’s super lightweight title and will air on HBO. Although neither Loma nor Walters, whose nickname is the Axe Man, are household names, this is a serious fight for boxing devotees, the kind of matchup the sport needs to see more of in order to be prosperous and healthy.
Walters – 26-0-1 – has been out of the fight game for what seems like forever, while the 6-1 Loma has been waiting for an opponent worthy of his considerable talent. Although few may feel Walters can rise to the occasion, the former titlist is indeed one of the biggest threats out there for the lauded (former) amateur great. Needless to say, this battle is must see for fight nuts. Indeed, Walters is a skilled and powerful fighter in his own right (just ask Nonito Donaire). Sure enough, it may prove to be unwise to write off the Axe Man in this case.
Some may recall that the two men were supposed to fight some time ago but that Walters, so the tale went, reportedly asked for too much money. Whether this story was true or not is unknown to this author – at this point, does it really matter? – but it does make clear the fact that fans have been clamoring for this matchup for some time now. The (potential) pairing wouldn’t have generated as much buzz as it did the first time around if no one was interested.
Lomachenko, whose last fight went down in June when he decimated a game Roman Martinez, will be riding a five fight winning streak since losing a dirty battle to the gritty Orlando Salido back in 2014. Walters, on the other hand, will be fighting for the first time since December of last year when he received what can best be described as a controversial decision draw to Jason Sosa in a bout this writer and others clearly believed he won. Previously, Walters had stopped five of his last six opponents, including such notables as Donaire and Vic Darchinyan.
With rough patches now behind them, both fighters are entering what is surely the biggest match of each man’s life, a match that arrives none too soon for fans discouraged with this showcase era of boxing.
