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Boxing: Lomachenko adds WBC title in thriller with Campbell

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/reuters/09/01/boxing.jpg"/><figcaption>Vasyl Lomachenko poses as he celebrates winning the fight. Andrew Couldridge, Action Images via Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>LONDON -- Vasyl Lomachenko, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, beat British challenger Luke Campbell in a thrilling bout to win the vacant WBC lightweight title in London on Saturday.The 31-year-old Ukrainian, who had been world champion at three different weights in only a 14-bout professional career prior to the fight, won by a unanimous decision to add the WBC belt to his WBA and WBO titles in the weight.Lomachenko&#x27;s target is to have all four major belts with Ghana&#x27;s Richard Commey holding the IBF version.Lomachenko, whose record reads 14 wins and one defeat, acknowledged the toughness of the bout.&quot;Of course I&#x27;m happy,&quot; he told Sky Sports. &quot;I want to thank everyone who came to support this beautiful fight and of course I&#x27;m happy this is my title.&quot;Campbell, who like Lomachenko won Olympic gold in 2012 not far from the O2 Arena where they fought on Saturday, insisted he can still win a world title.&quot;He&#x27;s a special fighter,&quot; Campbell told Sky Sports. &quot;I trained to win but it is hard to fight someone like that who adapts so well. He is a special fighter.&quot;With the support I have had here I can go on and achieve anything. My time will come.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/onechampionship/news/2019/08/27/pacquiao-team-lakay-share-stage-national-heroes-day-60303">READ: Manny Pacquiao, Team Lakay share the stage on National Heroes&#x27; Day</a></li></ul>Lomachenko began landing effective punches from the third round, clearly hurting Campbell when he connected with his head in the third and one to the body in the fourth.<div>Saved by the bell</div>The punishment continued in the fifth with Lomachenko pummelling Campbell&#x27;s head, who nearly went to the canvas but was saved by the bell as the Ukrainian moved in to finish him off.Campbell, though, displayed great resilience and, having had a breather between rounds, took the fight to Lomachenko, landing a decent uppercut. Campbell maintained his momentum in the seventh round and hurt Lomachenko with a powerful body punch and one to the head, but just as the British fans rose to their feet, the champion fought back and landed a flurry of punches.Both fighters showed no let up in their work-rate through the next three rounds, going toe to toe and keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats.However, Lomachenko reacted to a good punch from Campbell in the penultimate round by landing one which forced the Briton to go down on a knee and once up, he only just managed to hold on to the bell.Campbell landed a below-the-belt blow in the final round but Lomachenko brushed that aside and landed a few legal blows of his own without putting the challenger down -- the two exhausted men hugging each other at the end.The other world title bout on the undercard saw WBC flyweight titleholder Charlie Edwards retain his belt after replays declared it a no contest.Edwards was knocked out by challenger Julio Cesar Martinez, but although the Mexican celebrated, he had laid one punch on the champion when he was down on a knee and it was ruled a low blow. &quot;This is the right decision,&quot; he told Sky Sports. &quot;I took a knee for a purpose. He finished me off with a body shot and I could not recover.&quot;Cheaters never prosper. We get in this ring to abide by the rules.&quot;Promoter Eddie Hearn said it was blatantly obvious it was a low blow.&quot;The shot was not late it was next week,&quot; he told Sky Sports. &quot;It is a blatant low blow.&quot;Alexander Povetkin -- whose last bout in the UK ended with defeat at the hands of Anthony Joshua -- took a step towards another world title tilt by beating Tyson Fury&#x27;s cousin Hughie by a unanimous decision.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Vasyl Lomachenko, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, beat British challenger Luke Campbell in a thrilling bout to win the vacant WBC lightweight title in London on Saturday.

Vasyl Lomachenko, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, beat British challenger Luke Campbell in a thrilling bout to win the vacant WBC lightweight title in London on Saturday.