Vasyl Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla fight result: Ukrainian wins by knockout in fourth round of lopsided contest

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Vasyl Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla preview weigh in

Vasyl Lomachenko defended his WBA and WBO lightweight belts on Friday night with a violent fourth-round stoppage of Britain’s Anthony Crolla.

Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs) brutalized the mandatory challenger for his WBA belt throughout their fight, nearly ending it late in the third round when the Ukrainian star knocked Crolla into the ropes.

Referee Jack Reiss allowed the fight to continue, and Lomachenko finished after the break with a right hand that dropped Crolla face-first onto the canvas with a broken nose.

Lomachenko showed the folly of this matchup by thoroughly outclassing Crolla (34-7-3), a tough but overmatched contender. Lomachenko had hoped to take on Richard Commey in a three-belt unification fight, but Commey’s injured hand forced Lomachenko’s promoters to make this fight.

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Undercard results

Gilberto Ramirez def. Tommy Karpency via TKO (corner stoppage)

Arnold Barboza Jr. def. Mike Alvarado via KO

Alexander Besputin def. Alfredo Blanco via decsion

Janibek Alimkhanuly def. Cristian Olivas via decision

Guido Vianello def. Lawrence Gabriel via KO

Ruben Rodriguez def. Ramel Snegur via decision

[13 April 2019 05:12 · Tom Kershaw]

Interview: Amir Khan faces Terence Crawford next week. He's not as large an underdog as Crolla tonight, but if there's any fighter who's better than the masterful Lomachenko, it is Ohama native and former super-lightweight undisputed champion, Crawford.

[13 April 2019 05:15 · Tom Kershaw]

Here we go! Anthony Crolla is making his way to the ring!

[13 April 2019 05:18 · Tom Kershaw]

Lomachenko has a mean smile as he jinks towards the ring. Supreme confidence.

[13 April 2019 05:20 · Tom Kershaw]

[13 April 2019 05:23 · Tom Kershaw]

Lomachenko is wearing a Laker-themed snakeskin robe with billionaire written across each sleeve.

[13 April 2019 05:23 · Tom Kershaw]

And the opening bell rings!

[13 April 2019 05:27 · Tom Kershaw]

Round 1: Lomachenko 1-0 Crolla

It's a very cautious start from Crolla, with neither fighter throwing a single meaningful punch in the first minute.

Lomachenko begins to bounce in and out of range like he's got springs attached to the bottom of each shoe. He picks a couple of jabs and then catches Crolla as the Brit's left-hand drops with the first meaningful punch of the fight. 

There's not much in it in terms of punches, but it's Lomachenko who's applied the pressure for every second of those first three minutes and it's easy to score.

[13 April 2019 05:32 · Tom Kershaw]

Round 2: Lomachenko 2-0 Crolla

Again Lomachenko backs Crolla up easily into the corner and forces the Mancunian to scurry along the ropes in search of safety. He's slightly marking up under the right eye just due to the sheer consistency of Lomachenko's measuring stick jab.

Eventually, Crolla does suck him in and land a body shot but the Ukrainian shrugs and gets straight back to business.

Seconds later and Lomachenko lands a big left hand to the head and then body, evidencing the difference in power between the pair, and then starts picking apart Crolla's guard. There's only so long the Brit can sustain the sheer rate of movement he's being forced into by Lomachenko's movement

[13 April 2019 05:36 · Tom Kershaw]

Round 3: Lomachenko 4-0 Crolla

Lomachenko starts with a dramatic increase of impetus, immediately landing within the first 15 seconds and methodically unloads on Crolla with short and deceivingly spiteful shots.

Then there's huge controversy! Lomachenko is unloading at will and it looks like the referee has stepped in and waved it off and Lomachenko begins to celebrate.

But it's ruled as a standing count and Crolla beats the eight-count, while the security, who also thought it was over, blushingly leave the ring. A very, very lucky escape for Crolla.

[13 April 2019 05:38 · Tom Kershaw]

Lomachenko wins by TKO!

Lomachenko unleashes another series of vicious shots and it's a hook to the temple that finally gives Crolla the reprieve of hitting the canvas.

Crolla never had anything to offer in return and was totally outclassed from the opening second. He's still struggling to recover and is still stumbling as he attempts to return to his feet.