Vasiliy Lomachenko v George Kambosos - Tale of the Tape: Weight, height, reach, trainer & professional boxing records

We analyse the credentials and statistics of Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos as the two former unified world champions get set to collide with the vacant IBF lightweight title up for grabs.

Since, undisputed king, Devin Haney moved up to 140lbs, the lightweight division has been in a state of flux.

In the early hours of Sunday 12th May, former unified champions, Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos will attempt to stake their claim to being the best 135-pounder on the planet as they do battle for the vacant IBF belt, in Perth, Australia.

Will home advantage sway things in Kambosos’ favour, or will the Ukrainian remind everyone of his greatness?

It's time to look at the 'Tale of the Tape'...

Vasiliy Lomachenko v George Kambosos
Tale of the Tape

	Vasiliy Lomachenko	George Kambosos
Odds:	7/50	9/2
Age:	36	30
Nickname:	'The Matrix'	'Ferocious'
Height:	5ft 7ins	5ft 9ins
Reach:	65.5ins	68ins
Weight:	Lightweight	Lightweight
Trainer:	Antoly Lomachenko	Anton Kadushin
Record:	17-3 (11 KOs)	21-2 (10 KOs)
Last Fight:	Lost - (UD) v Devin Haney (May 2023)	Won - (MD) v Maxi Hughes (November 2023)

Vasiliy Lomachenko
In Profile

His record may not reflect it, but make no mistake, Vasiliy Lomachenko is one of the greatest fighters of the past decade.

At his peak, ‘The Matrix’ bamboozled, beat up and broke down world-level boxers with consummate ease.

Many pugilists proclaim they are special, but the Ukrainian has been willing to prove it. Having won back-to-back Olympic gold medals, he challenged for a world title in just his second fight as a professional. He fell agonisingly short, as he was old-manned by Orlando Salido.

World honours did not elude him for long, as in his next bout, he captured the WBO featherweight strap, against Gary Russell Jr, equalling the record for becoming a world champion in the fewest number of fights.

After three successful defences, his reign of terror continued at 130lbs, where opponents struggled to lay a glove on him, forcing four consecutive rivals to retire on their stools, as they had no answer to the puzzle posed by ‘The Matrix.’

Lightweight gold was added to his collection as he defeated Jorge Linares to become WBA and lineal champion.

The WBO version was captured with a win over Jose Pedraza, before Lomachenko claimed the WBC strap against Luke Campbell.

The Olympic champion’s feats at 135lbs were made all the more impressive by the fact that he was undersized in the division.

His lack of physical stature told when he battled, IBF titlist, Teofimo Lopez. Although Lomachenko closed the fight strongly, he allowed too many of the early rounds to slip away, which ultimately, cost him the fight.

Last year, the 36-year-old was presented with the opportunity to become undisputed king of the weight-class when he challenged Devin Haney. Many fans and pundits believed Lomachenko had done enough, but it was the American who left with all the marbles.

If Lomachenko is to once again become a world champion, he cannot afford to spend too many rounds “downloading the data.”

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Use of angles	Small at the weight
Feints	Slow starter
Control of distance	Can struggle to get past an opponent's jab
Combination punching

George Kambosos
In Profile

George Kambosos knows the odds are stacked against him, but it won’t bother him one iota. In fact, he will relish the role of the underdog.

In 2021, the Australian pulled of one of the biggest upsets of the year, when he defeated, WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight ruler, Teofimo Lopez.

On the night, few fancied ‘Ferocious’ to shock the young American, who had produced a statement win over Lomachenko in his previous bout. However, from the opening bell, Kambosos made it clear he was not there to make up the numbers.

While Lopez was looking for a highlight-reel knockout, the challenger boxed a smart fight, utilising his jab and counters. At the end of the first round, the Rio 2016 Olympian was floored.

Kambosos found himself on the canvas in 10th too, but survived the late onslaught from the champion to prevail by split decision.

Soft first defences are part-and-parcel of the sport, but the 30-year-old eschewed tradition and instead opted to face, WBC titlist, Devin Haney in a battle to crown an undisputed king of the division.

Kambosos had home advantage as the fight took place in Melbourne, but it was not enough to prevent him being comfortably outboxed by ‘The Dream.’

A rematch followed a similar pattern, as ‘Ferocious’ had no answer for the jab of his younger rival.

Last year, the Australian was fortunate not to be a footnote in another fighter’s Cinderella story as many observers felt Maxi Hughes had done enough to retain his IBO belt. However, the judges disagreed and ‘Ferocious’ escaped with a split decision victory.

If Kambosos is to upset the odds again, he will need to recapture the form shown against Lopez. The fact that he possesses significant physical advantages over ‘The Matrix’ could be play a factor.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Hand speed	Throws from too far out
Foot speed	Open to an overhand right
Check left hook	Loads up on hooks
Jab	Head falls over front foot

All odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.