Vasiliy Lomachenko Decimates Anthony Crolla to Retain Lightweight Titles

Lomachenko gets the 4th round stoppage. That right hook came from the shoulder that got surgery. Is he the p4p #1 ? #lomacrolla pic.twitter.com/jvO0FAbZF0

— FightCard Previewer (@FPreviewer) April 13, 2019

When someone is considered the absolute best in the sport of boxing, he is expected to decimate an opponent not on his level. Vasiliy Lomachenko did just that on Saturday night.

Lomachenko (13-1) blew away Anthony Crolla to record his 10th professional knockout in the main event of a card on ESPN+ inside Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Ukrainian was far too much for Crolla to handle as "Hi-Tech" did whatever he wanted before putting him away in spectacular fashion in the fourth.

Lomachenko dug blistering punches to the head and body, forcing Crolla (34-7-3, 13 KOs) on the defensive from the start. The two-time Olympic gold medalist scored a standing eight-count in the third when he unloaded a barrage of punches along the ropes, convincing referee Jack Reiss that the ropes held him up late in the frame.

Lomachenko wasted no time in the fourth and backed the Brit into the ropes. After a short left downstairs, Lomachenko blasted "Million Dollar" with a missile of a right to the head, sending Crolla face-first to the canvas. Reiss waived off his count, officially ending the mugging 58 seconds into the stanza. The knockout win allowed Lomachenko to retain his WBO and WBA lightweight titles.

After the fight, Lomachenko called out Mikey Garcia, who will likely return down to 135 after losing to Errol Spence Jr. at welterweight last month.

"I want to fight with @mikeygarcia" #LomaCrolla pic.twitter.com/emObj1dWYe

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 13, 2019

In the televised co-feature, current WBO super middleweight king Gilberto Ramirez (40-0, 26 KOs) destroyed opponent Tommy Karpency's body so badly, that he quit on his stool between rounds four and five. Karpency (29-7-1, 18 KOs) told his corner after the fourth that he had broken ribs. The fight was Ramirez's debut at light heavyweight.

Finally, junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. (21-0, 8 KOs) clubbed former world champion Mike Alvarado (40-5, 28 KOs) with a sizzling combo to the head and body, knocking him out 49 seconds into the third.