Former three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko 14-2 (10) will get his chance to get back in the win column eight long months since his 12-round loss to Teofimo ‘The Takeover’ Lopez 16-0 (12) when he faces Japanese contender Masayoshi Nakatani 19-1 (13) at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
The 33-year-old Ukrainian southpaw lost his WBA and WBO lightweight titles to IBF champion Lopez by unanimous decision in Las Vegas last October.
“I can’t wait to be back in the ring,” Lomachenko said. “I’m very excited and I want to show my best skills. I want to prove to myself, my family, my friends, my team, who I am in the ring.
“[Nakatani] is a tough guy. He has the height and the reach. I think he is a very good boxer. That’s why he was my choice as an opponent.
“It’s great to have fans [in the crowd]. They push us in the ring. They give us energy.
“I have a fight this Saturday and after that, we can talk about a rematch. I want it!”
Nakatani, 32, is coming off a come-from-behind ninth-round knockout of former hot prospect Felix Verdejo 27-2 (17) last December. He went 12 with Lopez in a losing effort in his previous fight in July 2019.
“A fellow Japanese fighter [Naoya Inoue last week] having a great performance is very motivating for me,” Nakatani said. “This is a fight that I have to win and that I want to win.
“When this fight came up, I felt that it is the biggest fight of my career. But getting the fight doesn’t mean anything. I must win for this fight to mean something. I’m going to win!”
In the main support bout former WBA ‘regular’ middleweight titleholder Rob ‘Bravo’ Brant 26-2 (18) will take on Kazakh southpaw Janibek ‘Qazaq Style’ Alimkhanuly 9-0 (5) in a 10-rounder.
“I’m feeling amazing,” said Brant, who split a pair of fights with Japanese superstar Ryota Murata 16-2 (13). “It’s never a surprise being the underdog. I’m looking forward to it. You have to take the risks. I have no problem with being the underdog.
“I learned a lot of patience and guidance from my trainer [Brian] ‘BoMac’ McIntyre. I have always been known as a high-volume boxer, but with BoMac I have learned and developed a lot of the patience.
“This is Top Rank. Everyone wants to be at the highest level, and I want to prove that I belong here. My focus is 100 percent on beating Janibek on Saturday.”
Alimkhanuly says he is ready to shine of Saturday night.
“This fight is very important for me,” Alimkhanuly said. “I’m 100 percent ready, and Saturday night I’m going to show what ‘Qazaq Style’ is all about. Very soon I’ll be fighting as the main event.
“Three years ago, I started training with Buddy McGirt. I like him a lot. He is looking to add more tools to the style that I already have. We are already looking to win a world title together.”
