LomaCHOKO

Didn't see the fight but seriously? 2nd pro fight vs a good pro. ATGs have looked bad in fights against much lesser opposition when they are starting.

 

I was really surprised that he didn't throw **** while Salido came at him...

He just settled on moving around without throwing punches & clinching

 

Looked like a very bad game plan. But this is Salido's night. You can't defeat a vet with rookie skills.

 

Salido came in as a welterweight and got away with about 20 low blows and was still almost taken out in the last round yet won by split decision.

 

No he couldn't have. It's been like 12 years since Salido was last knocked out.

 

at least he had balls to step up and try

 

Better than knocking over 20 or 30 tomato cans before his first title fight, IMO.:good

 

no doubt. I think this experience will give him more than 10-15 bouts with mediocre opposition. IMO he'll win a world title in a couple fights

 

this is true, but there was an an air of arrogance about it.

 

10-15 wins against opponents that gradually get better is probably a better road then going 396-1 in the amateurs, being hailed as the next p4p #1 and then stepping right in to a championship fight and looking ordinary against a bog-standard rugged Mexican.

 

Hey, that's baptism by fire- sometimes ya get burned a little bit. Props for having the guts to jump into the frying pan in the first place. :thumbsup

Lomachenko couldn't ask for a better learning experience to what championship level professional boxing is about. He'll be just fine going forward.

 

but at what cost? In hindsight, is it a course you would have advised? Or maybe on second thought it's really is a good idea to have 15 fights over (say) two years with a gradual step-up in competition? In fact, this ordeal seems to vindicate "conventional wisdom" that the pro game requires a rather prolonged acclimatization period, no matter how many gold medals.

 

It depends on how one measures success.

If the ultimate objective is to coddle a fighter with easy matchups to protect the 0, then of course I wouldn't advise it.

If taking this kind of match up is really what my fighter really wants, I think he's the goods, and it's the difference between me landing him in my promotional stable or not, I take that chance 10/10 times.

From a fighter quality standpoint, he will develop more in this single fight than he would've by blowing out 10 no-hopers. There is the risk that he loses, which is what ultimately happened. But I have no doubt he'll be a better fighter in his 3rd fight than if he'd faced someone even at the level of his 1st opponent. He didn't take a career-altering beating, so there was no long-term damage done.

As boxing fans, even if we hate the hype an unproven fighter gets, it's important we don't reinforce the stereotype that other sports fans have of us- that we treat a fighter like garbage for taking a risk and getting beat, or that a loss is the end of the world.

Professional matchmaking will never change unless we loosen up and allow these fighters to take chances without fear of their career being ruined with a loss. We're the ones supporting the sport, and we're the ones with the power to change that.

This isn't a new attitude just for Loma, either- I had Broner's back after the Maidana fight for the same reason. Did his reach exceed his grasp? Yes. But that's how you learn what to work on moving forward.