Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux Live Coverage And Discussion

Welcome to Fightful’s live coverage of Vasil Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux. For the first time in boxing history, two fighters who each have two Olympic gold medals will engage in a boxing match and what better way to have a fight between two top 10 pound-for-pound boxers than to have it main event a Madison Square Garden card on ESPN. Rigondeaux moves up in weight to challenge for Lomachenko’s WBO super featherweight title in one of the year’s most highly-anticipated boxing matches.

We’ll be providing quick results of the preliminary card and full, round-by-round coverage of the world title fight, which can be seen on the ESPN family of networks.

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Here is the main televised card (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/Watch ESPN, 9 p.m. ET):

• Vasyl Lomachenko defeated Guillermo Rigondeaux via TKO, round 6, 3:00, to retain the WBO World Super Featherweight title
• Christopher Diaz defeated Bryant Cruz via TKO, round 3, 0:37 to win the vacant WBO-NABO Super Featherweight title
• Michael Conlan defeated Luis Fernando Molina via unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
• Shakur Stevenson defeated Oscar Mendoza via TKO, round 2, 1:38

Here is the preliminary card (Watch ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET):

• Bryant Jennings defeated Don Haynesworth via TKO, round 3, 2:29
• Jose Gonzalez and Adan Gonzalez fight to a majority draw (58-56 Adan, 57-57, 57-57)
• Mikaela Mayer defeated Nydia Feliciano via majority decision (38-38, 40-36, 40-36)

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MAIN CARD:

Shakur Stevenson vs. Oscar Mendoza: Typical squash match for a young, rising prospect. Stevenson dominated the fight from the start, landing numerous combos to Mendoza and pressuring him to the point that Mendoza could barely throw a punch. Mendoza was wildly inaccurate, only landing 10 percent of his punches in the first round. Stevenson hit a hard body shot in the second round, which set up the stoppage. Stevenson trained with Vasyl Lomachenko in the buildup to this fight and the training paid off well for Stevenson.

Official result: Shakur Stevenson defeated Oscar Mendoza via TKO, round 2, 1:38

Christopher Diaz vs. Bryant Cruz: Vacant WBO-NABO Super Featherweight Title: Diaz started the fight on an extremely high note, scoring a knockdown in the first round. Diaz followed it up by knocking down Cruz in the second and third rounds, forcing the referee to put a stop to the contest. Diaz looked phenomenal in the fight and his left hook looked sharp. Fightful saw Diaz train for the fight a few weeks back and he looked strong even in the gym. The win sets Diaz up for a potential world title fight in 2018.

Official result: Christopher Diaz defeated Bryant Cruz via TKO, round 3, 0:37 to win the vacant WBO-NABO Super Featherweight title

Michael Conlan vs. Luis Fernando Molina: Conlan’s strategy to use the left jab to set up power punches worked well in this fight. Molina was game and he tried his best to overpower Conlan, but Conlan was able to move away from any dangerous situations. The jab helped Conlan out-punch Molina 128-31 throughout the fight. This was a good win for Conlan to start learning how to fight deep into the fight. It was the first time in Conlan’s pro career that he goes the distance. Conlan moves to 5-0 as he continues to make his presence felt in New York. His next scheduled fight is in March at Madison Square Garden.

Official result: Michael Conlan defeated Luis Fernando Molina via unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)

Vasyl Lomachenko (c) vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux: WBO World Super Featherweight Title

Round 1: Rigondeaux starts with a left jab. Rigondeaux throws a couple of left hooks. Rigondeaux throws a left jab followed by a left uppercut. Lomachenko lands a right jab to the body followed by a missed right jab upstairs. Both men clinch. Lomachenko throws four rapid-fire to jabs to Rigondeaux. Lomachenko throws another jab and misses with the uppercut. Rigondeaux also misses with the high left hook.

Fightful scored round 1 for Lomachenko 10-9

Round 2: Lomachenko throws a left hand, but barely connects. Lomachenko lands a jab and throws a couple of more jabs until both men clinch near the ropes. Rigondeaux throws a right body jab. Rigondeaux lands a right hook. Lomachenko then charges forward and throws a flurry of punches up close to Rigondeaux.

Fightful scored round 2 for Lomachenko 10-9

Round 3: Lomachenko keeps throwing lightning-fast jabs to start the round. Rigondeaux throws a right hook but misses. Both men clinch. Rigondeaux throws a couple of jabs. Lomachenko responds with one of his own. Rigondeaux now continues to utilize the jab, but does not follow up on the jab. Lomachenko’s head movement makes Rigondeaux miss with his jabs. Lomachenko connects with a couple of uppercuts to the body

Fightful scored round 3 for Lomachenko 10-9

Round 4: Lomachenko throws another jab, further disrupting Rigondeaux’s rhythm. Rigondeaux attacks the body and Lomachenko follows it up with a similar strategy. Lomachenko lands several punches in succession. Rigondeaux lunges forward with a left jab. Rigondeaux takes the fight up close and lands a couple of uppercuts. Lomachenko lands two uppercuts to the body. The two boxers trade punches until the end of the round.

Fightful scored round 4 for Lomachenko 10-9

Round 5: The two boxers continue to throw jabs, but are unable to set up any strong punches for the first minute of the round. Lomachenko lands a five-punch combo to Rigondeaux. The boxers clinch and Rigondeaux nearly hits Lomachenko below the belt. Lomachenko lands a couple of fast uppercuts to Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux lands a punch to the body.

Fightful scored round 5 for Lomachenko 10-9

Round 6: Lomachenko keeps throwing jabs until the two men clinch and Lomachenko shoves Rigondeaux out of the clinch. Lomachenko keeps landing the quick jab and is now starting to beat down Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux throws a flurry of punches out of frustration. Rigondeaux gets a point deducted after he kept holding Lomachenko’s right arm. The fight is now turning into a street fight with both men trying to take the action up close being extremely aggressive.

Fightful scored round 6 for Lomachenko 10-8

In between rounds, Rigondeaux indicates that his left hand is hurt and will no longer fight. Lomachenko retains the title.

Official result: Vasyl Lomachenko defeated Guillermo Rigondeaux via TKO, round 6, 3:00, to retain the WBO World Super Featherweight title