Lomachenko – Kambosos. The Ukrainians have already fought in Australia, Bursak lost the title fight there, and the Vinnytsia resident was the national champion

On May 12 in Perth, Australia, the former world champion in three weight categories Vasily Lomachenko will face IBF World Lightweight Champion in a title bout against George Kambosos. This fight will be the first for the Ukrainian on the fifth continent. Although Ukrainian boxers have previously fought in Australia more than once, and a native of Vinnitsa even became the champion of this country. Let’s remember how it was.

Discoverer Sinepupov

A well-known Ukrainian boxer in the past, who won the IBF Intercontinental champion title back in 1994 and fought for the full European champion title, ended up in Australia as a representative of the USSR – in April 1991. Moreover, Sinepupov, a native of Makeevka, also fought in Perth, and his opponent was also local boxer Tony Miller.

For Sinepupov, the fight was the seventh in his professional career, for his opponent it was the 38th (28 wins, seven losses and two draws). That, however, did not prevent the Ukrainian from winning by unanimous decision in a 10-round fight.

Champion from Vinnitsa

The largest number of fights in Australia – 15 – among the Ukrainians, has now been fought by 39-year-old Vinnytsia resident Viktor Chernous. Actually, the then 23-year-old boxer, who was once a member of the Ukrainian national team and competed with it at the 2002 World Championships, began his professional career in this country.

“In 2008 we flew to Australia. At that time, only two members of the team – me and our coach – were given a long-term Australian visa. I don’t know why this happened, it was probably a sign (smiles). Then manager Steve Delaire offered me a three-year contract. That’s how my career as a professional boxer began in Australia,” Victor recalled in an interview with Vinnitskaya Arena.

As mentioned above, Chernous had 15 fights in Australia: he won 14 and lost in one. In ’11 he became the national champion, defeating James Giltrow on points, and earned the nickname “Hurricane” in Australia.

“I could have claimed a championship fight, but I made a mistake by returning to Ukraine. I didn’t have enough experience, I didn’t wait, as they say, for my chance. As I later found out, for a boxer with the record I had, not boxing for 4-6 months is normal. “And I thought that my manager couldn’t organize a fight for me,” Victor recalled. “When I returned to Ukraine, I sparred with Viktor Postol before the fight with Selcuk Aydin, and also with Vyacheslav Senchenko before the fight with Hatton.”

Then one fight in Ukraine and two in the USA (draw and defeat). Training in the gym with Freddie Roach, sparring with Marcos Maidana and Carlos Molina, trying to gain a foothold in America, a conflict with the manager and returning home with a record of 15-2-1, 5 KOs.

By the way, as Chernous said, Lomachenko’s future opponent is familiar to him. “I know Kombosos and even sparred with him a lot – we trained together at the Kostya Tszyu Academy in Australia. But he was still small and light then. I think Kombosos is not a random character, if only because he spent all his fights on foreign territory – he is a very charged and motivated athlete. I think he can handle everything, except Vasya,” Victor said in 2022.

Bursak’s championship fight

In July 2015, Max Bursak fought in Australia. In Carlton, the Ukrainian fought with then-local prospect Zach Dan. The fight, in which the IBO super middleweight title was at stake, turned out to be quite competitive. But the Ukrainian lost after 12 rounds by unanimous decision: 115:111 twice and 116:110. For a fight in Australia, this is at least a draw, and maybe even a victory. What will the opponent of the next Ukrainian talk about?

Dunn, by the way, did not achieve much success; he traveled outside of Australia to fight three times – twice in Italy and once in the USA; he did not receive high-profile title fights, although he ended his career with a good record – 29-1, 24 KOs.

Plotnikov lost to future offender Pacquiao

Yes, Lviv resident Viktor Plotnikov fought with Jeff Horn in the same year in 2015 for several insignificant regional titles. With that, Horn will be given the win in a very, very controversial home fight with Manny Pacquiao for the WBO title and who will then get a fight with Terence Crawford. Pacquiao lost to Horn by decision: 113:115 – twice and 111:117.

Plotnikov did not go the entire 10-round distance. Although he lost not in boxing, even though at the time the fight was stopped, Horn was leading on the notes of all three judges 68:64 and 70-63 – twice. It’s all about the cut that the Australian received in the sixth round after a collision. During the break, Horn’s cutman managed to stop the bleeding, but in the next three minutes it opened again. As a result, after the seventh round the referee stopped the fight, and according to the judges’ notes, as stated above, Horn won.

The fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and George Kambosos will take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, starting at approximately 5 a.m. Kyiv time.

Let us remember that in May 2023, Lomachenko lost to Devin Haney in a fight for the title of absolute world champion. In turn, Kambosos defeated Briton Maxi Hughes in his last fight, winning the IBO lightweight title.