Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko, in addition to the deep friendship that binds them, have a lot in common: both Ukrainian, both southpaws, both extraordinarily technical, both Olympic champions as amateurs and world champions as professionals. Yet today, as their boxing careers seem to be nearing what appears to be the final phase, their status in the eyes of those who follow international boxing is not the same.
Usyk remains undefeated, has unified the world titles in two weight classes, and is ranked first in the P4P list by the prestigious American magazine The Ring; Lomachenko, on the other hand, despite winning world titles in three divisions, has suffered three professional defeats, is not among the top 10 fighters in the world according to The Ring, and recently declined a unification fight against Gervonta Davis, which, if won, could have significantly boosted his legacy.
What made the difference then? How is it that, despite the talent of these two extraordinary athletes being considered comparable by experts, one will be remembered as one of the greatest boxers of all time while the other “only” as an excellent champion? Let’s try to outline four hypotheses on the reasons that have separated these two “different twins” in terms of results.
1) The Ability to Adapt
A professional boxer competing at high levels will sooner or later find themselves dragged out of their “comfort zone.” Whether due to the opponent’s style, a fortuitous episode, or an unwelcome referee’s judgment, sooner or later, all great champions find themselves in unfavorable terrain and must adapt quickly to emerge unscathed. Oleksandr Usyk experienced something similar in Latvia, when, in front of the dense and frenzied crowd in Riga, he faced local idol Mairis Briedis in 2018. Accustomed to always being faster than his opponents, Usyk struggled to deal with the astonishing reactivity of the Latvian boxer, who used his excellent reflexes to dodge his one-twos and immediately countered with very rapid punches. The Ukrainian found himself behind midway through the match but did not lose heart and managed to find the winning tactical move to solve the puzzle: he began to rely on three-punch combinations, smoothly delivering the first two and loading the third, which often found the target. Lomachenko, on the other hand, was not as quick to adapt to the unfavorable context during his first world title attempt in 2014 against Orlando Salido. Hindered by the gap in experience and physique (Salido intentionally missed weight), Loma was dragged into a rough and chaotic close-quarters battle, while his body language and constant complaints about the very permissive refereeing betrayed his discomfort. The Ukrainian, while keeping the fight balanced, could not bring it onto favorable tracks before the last round.
2) Managing Handicaps
We like to think that great boxers are superheroes, always in perfect shape and without any ailments, but it’s helpful to remember that they are human too: during their career, anyone can step into the ring without being at 100%. At that point, if the opponent turns out to be a tough nut to crack, you have to find a way to manage the handicap and secure the victory. I personally suspected that Usyk was not at his best before the fight against Dereck Chisora right from the official weigh-in, when the usually unflappable Ukrainian showed uncharacteristic forced smiles, betraying unusual tension. This impression was reinforced by what we saw in the ring, where Usyk struggled to showcase his renowned repertoire that night. Whether it was the rust from the lack of activity in the preceding period or the aftermath of not fully recovered injuries, we do not know; what is certain is that the champion was visibly dull: his actions, his reactions, his body language suggested a boxer who does not feel at his best. Yet, after the initial shock, Usyk found a way to take control of the fight in time and bring it home. Lomachenko’s ascent to the top was not as quick and effective against Teofimo Lopez in a fight that the Ukrainian decided to take despite a shoulder problem. Loma stepped into the ring determined to make his rival pay for all the trash talking of the previous months, but after tasting Lopez’s power in the beginning, the realization that he was not at 100%, combined with the opponent’s danger, paralyzed him. For seven rounds, the Ukrainian essentially refused to fight, accumulating such a disadvantage that the subsequent admirable reaction proved futile. A partial comeback that increases the regret of not having given it his all sooner.
3) Neutralizing the Away-Game Effect
For ages, a boxer fighting away from home cannot afford to demonstrate only a narrow superiority to convince the judges. It shouldn’t be this way, of course, but anyone who has ever stepped into the ring is aware of this reality and knows well that to be awarded the victory in a hostile environment, you need to impose yourself incontrovertibly. Usyk, who has fought many of his most important fights away from home, never forgot this unwritten rule and often had the prudence to finish his fights extremely authoritatively to avoid any controversy. Particularly impressive was the twelfth round of his first fight against Anthony Joshua, which took place in Tottenham, in front of a vast audience naturally all on AJ’s side. Despite having already done enough to be judged the winner by a neutral observer, Usyk gave his best in the last three minutes, bringing his opponent to the brink of a technical KO. Lomachenko did not show the same foresight at the end of his controversial fight against Devin Haney: after shaking the American boxer in both the tenth and eleventh rounds, the Ukrainian lightweight inexplicably slowed down in the last round, allowing Haney to win it on all three scorecards. A fatal mistake made even harder to digest by Loma’s public explanation after the fight, admitting that he stopped because he believed he already had the victory in his pocket.
4) Predisposition to Move Up in Weight Class
Boxing history teaches us that not all boxers are equally predisposed to climb multiple weight classes while maintaining their best qualities. Some manage to do so while retaining power, brilliance, and resistance to punches, while others lose significant portions of their effectiveness and find themselves struggling to compete against bigger opponents. Consider, for example, the famous Carlos Zarate, one of the greatest bantamweights of all time, who was obliterated by Wilfredo Gomez when he dared to move up to super bantamweight. Or Meldrick Taylor, who, after giving the great Julio Cesar Chavez a run for his money at super lightweight, proved unsuitable to dominate at welterweight, being destroyed in just four rounds by Terry Norris. Many other examples could be given, but the concept is quite simple: some boxers, taken out of their ideal weight class, struggle more than others.
This is not the case with Usyk, who, in transitioning from cruiserweight to heavyweight, has shown extraordinary comfort in battling the best giants of the top category, managing to express all his best qualities despite the lower body mass. Lomachenko did not react to the weight class transitions with the same naturalness: once he became a permanent part of the lightweight division, he reluctantly had to give up some characteristic aspects of his boxing, adapting it to a context that did not allow him the same amazing moves he performed at featherweight and super featherweight. We have seen Loma use the pivot foot to turn around the opponent and keep hitting him from close quarters less frequently, we have seen him forced to load his punches with much more force to hurt, and we have realized the greater caution he had to adopt to avoid serious trouble, he who previously used to toy with his rivals effortlessly. Had he not crossed the super featherweight threshold, Lomachenko would probably have established an extraordinary world reign, affirming himself as one of the best boxers to have ever been in that division, but the eagerness to chase big names and make history pushed him into the shark-filled sea of 135 pounds from which he did not emerge unscathed.
A Matter of Character?
It’s hard to say with certainty which of the four factors we tried to dissect was the most impactful. Certainly, it stands out that, except for the last one, these are aspects connected to the character and psychological sphere of the two boxers, so much so that it does not seem heretical to say that it was indeed the character, ultimately, that made the greatest difference between these two great champions. The character that led Oleksandr Usyk to declare, before his historic fight against Tyson Fury, that every single step of his boxing story had served to bring him there. The character that, on the contrary, today induces Lomachenko to decline the challenge against Gervonta Davis due to lack of motivation, preferring to dedicate himself to his family for the rest of this year.
Whatever the case, the author hopes that this piece will not be interpreted by readers as an attempt to belittle Vasyl Lomachenko, for whom I have always had and continue to have a sincere and deep admiration. Rather, it is an attempt to rationalize the feeling of bitterness one feels in analyzing an exceptional career that perhaps could have been even more so.