Malignaggi Expects Shakur To Beat Loma – ‘He’s The Best’

“Lomachenko will probably wind up in the Stevenson fight. There’s no way around it. Shakur will get it this time against Lomachenko. He’ll get that fight. I think Shakur is the modern-day Lomachenko in that no one wants to deal with him. No one wants to fight him. Everyone makes excuses about why they shouldn’t have to fight him. I don’t think Stevenson gets enough love because he’s the best of the bunch at those weights.

“I think if they make the match-up, it’s kind of the changing of the guard where Stevenson beats Lomachenko and moves on to bigger and better things. Lomachenko has always been a go-getter. He’s always taken on the toughest fights, which is rare. He’s always gone after the toughest guys right away, and he’s never avoided anybody. Lomachenko has always been a go-getter. He’s always taken on the toughest fights, which is rare. He’s always gone after the toughest guys right away, and he’s never avoided anybody,” Malignaggi said 

Lomachenko’s Future

Nevertheless, Lomachenko has several options on the table. He could box Gervonta Davis in a unification. Davis holds the WBA belt, which he will defend against Frank Martin. A fight with Davis earns Lomachenko a bigger payday and still leaves the Stevenson fight on the table. He could also box Emanuel Navarrete or Denys Berinchyk. They fight on May 18 for the vacant WBO Lightweight Belt.

However, the main question is whether Lomachenko wants to continue fighting. He is a three-division champion with nothing to prove. While he was chasing undisputed, he lost a controversial, unanimous decision to Devin Haney, preventing that from happening. The Ukrainian is now 36 and has spoken about retiring. He only faced Kambosos after taking his father’s advice, showing the fire may no longer be there. 

“This is a title for him because after Haney, I wanted to finish my boxing career. After this fight with Haney, I proved to myself in this sport and I don’t need to continue. But my father, every day, he sends me news, and every time, he sends highlights. I feel he wants to continue and wants a title again. He told me, ‘We need to do one more time this one. We need to fight again for title. It was a hard decision for me because I’m tired. But I love my family, I respect my father. My father built me in boxing and in life. This is title, this is a win for my father,” Lomachenko stated