Fantasy Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko

When you think about different eras of boxing, it’s impossible to not fantasize about the potential great matchups that could have been had these fighters fought in the same era. As true fight fans, we love to see the best fight the best. Not only that, but fight each other in their respective primes.  Unfortunately, some of the best fighters come from different eras. 

One fight, in particular, comes to mind as I hear it discussed quite a bit. Especially as Vasyl Lomachenko continues to wow us with his skills. How would he do against Floyd Mayweather at 130lbs?

Let’s not forget, Floyd at that weight was more aggressive and more explosive. That, combined with his exceptional reflexes and speed, made him tough to beat. When he decided to not use his natural gifts, he could just sit in the pocket and make you miss. 

Lomachenko, on the other hand, might just be as close to The Matrix as one could possibly get. All jokes aside, the guy is special. The way he stands in front of you and then changes angles is truly amazing to watch. His ability to go from offense to defense is not something us fight fans get to see much nowadays. He just makes it all look so easy. Which is really what makes this such an interesting matchup.

You have two world-class level talents in their primes. This is how is should be right?

Let See How They Match Up

Speed: I believe there is a difference between quick and fast. Lomachenko is quick, Mayweather is fast. I give the edge to Pretty boy Floyd here. Floyd had that eye-catching speed. He could hit with a four-to-five punch combination before you realized what happened. I by no means am saying Lomachenko is slow, he is quick in his own way, but I feel his offense is more on timing and angles. He is just quick enough to pull it off.

Advantage: Mayweather

Power: I think Floyd definitely holds the advantage here. When Floyd fought at junior lightweight, he had some big power. His combinations were sharp, fast and explosive. While I think Lomachenko also some pop, his power is based more on accumulation of punishment. He hits his opponents so often; guys start to swell up, then get frustrated before either quitting or stopping. 

Advantage: Mayweather

Defense: This is a tough call. I think both guys are exceptionally skilled in this department. Both fighters have mastered distance and timing, just in different ways. Floyd uses the “Philly shell” which he was taught under the tutelage of his father, Floyd Sr. Lomachenko, on the other hand, uses quick subtle movement with his head and feet. He changes angles a lot which confuses his opponents. While I feel you can make an argument for either fighter here, I give Floyd the slight edge based on the opposition Floyd not only fought but beat during his time in the division.

Advantage: Mayweather.

IQ: When you have over 400 amateur fights combined, it’s a bit difficult to say one has a better boxing IQ than the other. Both fighters have shown on numerous occasions the ability to adapt mid-fight and make these world-class fighters look average. It takes a very special type of fighter to be able to do that. All that being said, I don’t give an edge to either guy here.

Advantage: Tie

Prediction: While I gave Mayweather the edge in most of the categories, this was not an easy choice. Both guys are what we would call “special”. They show time and time again they are just as good as we think they are. I believe Lomachenko’s timing and angles would trouble Floyd early on. However, I expect Floyd would figure out how the timing and movement of Lomachenko works by the fourth or fifth round and start backing up Loma behind his great defense and blazing hand speed. Ultimately, I think the speed and combination punching of Floyd would be too much for Vasyl over the course of 12 rounds and Floyd wins a close, but clear unanimous decision.