Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey is going to take place on December 11 at the Madison Square Garden. The fight between the former lightweight champions will take place after the presentation of the Heisman Trophy. It is one of the most coveted time spots and dates on the programming schedule of Top Rank. The three-weight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko is the Ukrainian fighter who saves his best for New York's spotlight. He is hoping that his next big challenge is not a bridge too far to cross. The Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey match marks the return of boxing to the Big Room at Madison Square Garden after a couple of years. This is after Terence Crawford successfully defended his welterweight belt with a great knockout over Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
In the co-feature of the Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey fight card, undefeated heavyweight boxer Jared Anderson will go against Oleksandr Teslenko. The Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey match and the fight between Teslenko and Anderson will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 6 PM PT or 9 PM ET after the 2021 Heisman Ceremony. The Puerto Rican junior middleweight boxer Xander Zayas and the middleweight boxer Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, will see action on the special New York City fight night. Top Rank is the promoter of the match in association with DiBella Entertainment. The tickets start at more than fifty dollars on Tuesday, November 2, at 12 PM ET. It can be bought by visiting the official websites.
Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said, "It is only fitting that the great Lomachenko headlines boxing's highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden. However, Richard Commey can never be counted out, as he's a tough fighter who carries huge power in both hands. Jared Anderson is a future heavyweight champion, but I expect Teslenko to be his toughest challenge to date. I also can't wait to see what Xander and Nico do next, as they are two of the most charismatic and exciting young fighters in the sport."
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey: Lomachenko is great at MSG
Lomachenko has had many of his great moments at Madison Square Garden. He has fought more than a couple of times at the Hulu Theater at MSG. He forced fellow Olympic gold medalist Riondeaux to quit four years ago. He unified the lightweight world championship belts three years ago with a unanimous decision win over Jose Pedraza. He had a great match against Jorge Linares at the same venue that year. He became a three-weight world champion when he defeated the Venezuelan boxer before the final round with a body shot. He returned from his undisputed lightweight title loss to Teofimo Lopez with a stoppage victory over Japanese veteran Masayoshi Nakatani.
Lomachenko is the former three-division champ. He lost his 135-pound belts to Teofimo Lopez a few months ago in a tightly contested match for the undisputed championship. After the game, he went under the knife to repair a torn rotator cuff. He returned with a stoppage victory over Nakatani. The Ukrainian boxer was hoping to get a rematch with Lopez to alter that same year. But the title match with a mandatory challenger Kambosos was postponed after the champ tested positive for COVID-19. Lomachenko said: "It is always special when I fight at Madison Square Garden, where so many great moments in my career have taken place. Richard Commey is a former world champion, an opponent I will not underestimate. I expect the best version of Commey, and I will be prepared for whatever he brings on December 11."
Lomachenko will be the smaller man in Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey
As has become the custom, Lomachenko will get in the ring as the same boxer. Commey has a two-inch height advantage and a reach advantage of 5.54 inches. The New York City resident held the IBF lightweight championship a few years ago. Still, in December of that year, the boxer was defeated in a couple of rounds by Lopez at the Madison Square Garden. The fighter took nearly one and a half years off and returned to knock out Jackson Marinez in the middle rounds. Commey is one of the most dangerous punchers in the division. His other losses have come through a split decision to Denis Shafikov and Robert Easter Jr. The victor of this match became a world title challenger for the following year. Commey is one of the top ten lightweight boxers in the world. He has fought on Heisman Trophy night also.
The Ghanaian got back with a knockout in the middle rounds of Jackson Marinez and will now want to become a two-time champ. The pressure boxer won the belt in his second attempt, with a middle-round knockout of Ray Beltran a few years ago. Nearly five years ago, Commey lost a match to Robert Easter through a disputed decision in his initial title challenge. Commey said, "I want to thank my team of Michael Amoo-Bediako, Lou DiBella, and Keith Connolly for getting me this opportunity. Ever since the Lopez fight, all I have thought about is becoming a two-time world champion. This fight against Lomachenko will get me one step closer to my goal. I also want to thank Bob Arum and Top Rank for the opportunity to again grace the stage at Madison Square Garden, one of boxing's most iconic venues. I know that most people consider me the underdog, but I am aiming to prove them all wrong and make Ghana proud once again."
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey: Other Matches
The date for the second match of Lomachenko this year has remained unchanged, and it is a familiar one. He has competed on the night of the Heisman a couple of times before. He got a total knockout win over Guillermo Rigondeaux nearly five years ago and a victory against Jose Pedraza almost three years earlier. The Olympic gold medalist is one of the top lightweights and pound-for-pound boxers. Anderson came from Toledo, Ohio, and was under the spotlight because of his highlight-reel knockouts and position as the most trusted sparring partner of the heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. This year, he had a couple of knockouts and had his biggest match on October 9 on the night Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fought for the third time.
Anderson opened that night with a win in the initial rounds over the undefeated Vladimir Tereshkin. Teslenko is a great prospect from Ukraine who had an undefeated record before being knocked out in the middle rounds by Shawndell Winters a couple of years ago. In the initial rounds this year, he got back in great form and knocked out Cesar David Crenz. Anderson said: "I've made my mark in Las Vegas over the last two years, and now it's time to steal the show in my Madison Square Garden debut on December 11. The Mecca of Boxing holds so much history, and I can't wait to add my name to the list of legends who've fought there."
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey Stats
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey Fight Card
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey (12 rounds - lightweight)
Jared Anderson vs. Oleksandr Teslenko (8 rounds - heavyweight)
Xander Zayas vs. TBA (6 or 8 rounds - super-welterweight)
Nico Ali Walsh vs. TBA (4 rounds - middleweight)