Anthony Crolla plotting one of boxing's great upsets against 'unique fighter' Vasyl Lomachenko

John Dillon12 April 2019

Anthony Crolla admits he will have to pull off one of boxing’s greatest upsets if he is to beat pound-for-pound superstar Vasyl Lomachenko in Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday.

Ukrainian double Olympic gold medallist Lomachenko is already a three-weight professional world champion after just 13 fights.

Manchester’s former world champion Crolla is rated as a 66-1 outsider ahead of his challenge for the rising superstar’s WBA and WBO lightweight belts at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.

The unlikely chance at upsetting the odds came after Lomachenko’s scheduled opponent, the IBF champion Richard Commey, was forced to withdraw with a hand injury.

The 31-year-old Lomachenko won the WBO world featherweight title in only his third pro fight and added the WBO super-featherweight belt after just seven contests.

He is rated the best pound-for-pound performer on the planet by ESPN with an armoury that includes devastating hand-speed and footwork, and supreme accuracy and timing.

Crolla – the 32-year old who held the WBA belt between 2015 and 2016 - said: "I want to shock the world and beating Lomachenko would be one of the biggest upsets of all time.

"There is less pressure on me but I have my own expectations and want to give a great account of myself and cause one of the biggest upsets ever by a British fighter. But Lomachenko is mentally very tough and he makes fighters quit. I know I will have to put up with being frustrated by him.

"He's a unique fighter and I've had to change up sparring to spar with different guys to cover everything he can throw at me. We've used top-class sparring partners like Jazza Dickens and Frankie Gavin, who was probably the best amateur this country has ever produced.

"Go back through history and see how many fighters have had the movement Lomachenko has got. This is the fight I wanted, though. I wanted a big one and I've got myself into position to face him. The money is great but it's about the challenge. I've got myself into this place so I want to make the most of it.

"Training has gone really well. It's been brutal at times but you expect it to be. I've really been put through it in this camp. My life has just been gyms and motorways. But I'm fighting one of the best fighters on the planet and I will be the best prepared I can possibly be. I'm not going over here just for a holiday."

It will be Lomachenko’s second defence of the WBA championship and the first of the WBO’s in the lightweight division.

He claimed the vacant WBO featherweight belt by defeating Gary Russell junior on a split decision in March, 2014 in California in only his third professional date.

He then became the quickest boxer in history to win world titles at two weights – in his seventh fight - with a fifth-round knockout of Rocky Martinez at Madison Square Garden which handed him the WBO super-featherweight belt in June, 2016.

His sole defeat was in his second fight when he lost a controversial split decision against the veteran Mexican Orlando Salido.

Crolla’s record stands at 34 wins, six defeats and three draws.

He won the WBA lightweight title by defeating Colombian Darlys Perez in their second fight in November, 2015.

After one successful defence against Ismael Barrossa, he lost the the belt to high-class Venezuelan Jorge Linares in September, 2016.

He has since won three comeback fights against Ricky Burns, Edson Ramirez and Daud Yourdan.

Lomachenko vs. Crolla in Los Angeles will be shown live from 3am this Saturday on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action

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