Bob Arum: Lomachenko is a Beauty to Watch

The sweet science. That is what boxing is known for among people with in-depth immersion in the sport of boxing. On the surface, boxing really appears to be violent, brutal, and to a larger extent, sort of barbaric form of athletic competition.  It mainly depends however on the perspective of the person watching.  But one thing for sure, a telescopic look at the sport it would emerge to be like a canvas for an athlete to show his artistic athletic skills in outthinking, outmaneuvering, and eventually beating an opponent. A beauty to watch indeed and "a thing of beauty is a joy forever" to borrow a line from the famous Victorian poet John Keats.

Amongst active boxers today - as far as the artistic practice of boxing is involved - Vasyl Lomachenko, 29, would be foremost model. "A beauty to watch" Bob Arum said of Lomachenko. The 85-year-old CEO of  Rank Promotions  all along  ranks the unusually talented fighter as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in boxing on account of his dominant and spellbinding conquest of hitherto world champions Rocky Martinez and the 'Axeman' from Jamaica Nicolas Walters.  Arum's list does not jive with that of ESPN's that places Lomachenko at No. 3. The middleweight boss Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin is at No. 1.

Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) would beg to disagree with his promoter. The Ukrainian, who won two gold Olympic gold medals for his country said unless he decides to explore up in weight from 130 pounds to 135 pounds and is able to serve a beating on the champions there he will refuse to elevate himself unto the top spot of the prestigious ranking.  Over a week ago, it can be recalled that Lomachenko had called out Mikey Garcia to wait at 135 lbs. Mikey Garcia, the undefeated WBC lightweight king, is currently lording over the division.

Meantime, boxing fans are in for another treat from Vasyl Lomachenko because he is currently penciled to defend his WBO junior lightweight title from the challenge of the 29-year-old Jason Sosa (20-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Sosa is himself a former world champion but skill-wise and if the quality of opponents faced and defeated is to be used as a gauge it would appear that Lomachenko would get the better of the American, quite easily.