by The road to a shot at the undisputed lightweight championship appears to be a straight, if not particularly exciting, one for Vasiliy Lomachenko. Simply defeat Jamaine Ortiz on Saturday (6:15 p.m. ESPN+) and Lomachenko is leading the line to face undisputed champion Devin Haney in early 2023.
While looking past an opponent can come back at bigger things down the road to bite a fighter, it’s hard to imagine Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) not seeing Ortiz as a particularly easy hurdle to overcome. The oddsmakers would agree that Lomachenko is sitting as a massive -2500 favorite to raise his hand at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden.
Since losing to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020 in contention for three of the four world lightweight titles, Lomachenko has returned to the form that has long placed him among the sport’s pound-for-pound elite. Lomachenko saw off fairly tough opponents Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey in his 2021 campaign and was set to face George Kambosos Jr., who had won the undisputed lightweight title ahead of Lopez.
Unfortunately, Russia’s invasion of Lomachenko’s home country of Ukraine dashed those plans and Haney stepped in to win two bouts against the Australian.
“Sparring [against Ortiz] differs from the competition because our condition is not at 100 percent, so Saturday night will be a very interesting fight,” Lomachenko said during the media day. “I’m concentrating on my job. I’m concentrating on my boxing. You can’t stop thinking about your country. It’s always on your mind. But now I’m focused and I need to be focused because I’m an athlete. After the fight I will go back to Ukraine and support my country.”
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the martial arts world from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat starring Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including a preview of what to expect from Lomachenko’s return to the ring below.
Despite the high odds, Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) is not an easy one. He picked up a career-best win over former world junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring in May, a fight that sent Herring into retirement. A draw against Joseph Adorno and a win against Nahir Albright, both good results, round out Ortiz’s three recent fights.
Ortiz is now ready to see how well he can compete with the elite. It was a moment that had to come eventually, as Ortiz seemed to be struggling with a decision of whether to stay at 135 pounds or move up to junior welterweight at 140 pounds. Both weight classes are talented and there is no soft road to the title.
“I’ve always wanted to fight Devin Haney,” Ortiz told BoxingScene.com. “I think this is going to be a great matchup and I see myself fighting Devin Haney. All the pieces of the puzzle are all in place and once I upset Lomachenko on October 29, me and Devin Haney will fight.”
Although Ortiz has never been on the radar as an elite prospect, he has proven himself in every spot he has been placed in the ring. Lomachenko is a different animal, one of the best fighters of his time.
The stakes are clear. If Ortiz can pull off an upset, it would be a sportingly jarring result that sets him up for big money fights. If Lomachenko can do the expected, he may have a shot at becoming a four-belt champion.
Below is the full fight map for Saturday night in New York along with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before we get to a prediction and settle on the main event.
Lomachenko vs. Ortiz fight card, odds
| Vasily Lomachenko -2500 | Jamaine Ortiz +1200 | Easy |
| Robey Ramirez -2500 | Jose Matias Romero +1200 | featherweight |
| Duke Ragan -625 | Louis Lebron +450 | featherweight |
| Troy Isley-1600 | Quincy LaVallais +900 | junior middleweight |
forecast
Jamaine Ortiz is a good fighter. Vasiliy Lomachenko will beat Jamaine Ortiz. These two things can both be true. Ortiz has a camera-friendly style and a quality that allows him to make the most of what his opponent gives him. That’s a tremendous thing for a young fighter who might not be viewed as an elite prospect and whose team is trying to protect their fighter as best they can. The problem is that it’s hard to take what Lomachenko gives you when Lomachenko gives you next to nothing.
Against Lopez, Lomachenko took the “slow first rounds” and “download data” approach we hear so much about and pushed her until everything broke. He just gave away too many rounds to a good fighter and it cost him his titles. Only time will tell where this fight goes on Lomachenko’s resume. How this fight affects the way we view Lomachenko’s career won’t really be known until well into the future, when Lopez proves to be either the Superman who faced Lomachenko or the delusional dud who showed up and was beaten up by Kambosos.
It’s hard to watch this fight and see where Ortiz has a path to victory. He’s not fast enough to bypass Lomachenko’s technical abilities, and he doesn’t have the kind of great power that can make Lomachenko hesitate. It really comes down to whether or not Ortiz is trying to force the issue on how quickly Lomachenko can end things. Selection: Lomachenko via TKO7
#Vasiliy #Lomachenko #Jamaine #Ortiz #Fight #Prediction #Undercard #Start #Time #Odds #Preview #Expert #Picks
