In his childhood, he thought that Mike Tyson was Ukrainian, and lived somewhere nearby, but in a conversation with his father he realized: the main role model is “not our guy”. However, today such an unattainable and distant Tyson speaks about him, calling Lomachenko the best in what he does. About the childhood and the Ukrainian boxing school, work with the father, a dream and distaste for defeats – the way Vasyl Lomachenko himself sees it in the section “Who is…” from DUMKA.
I think that this Ukrainian guy is the best boxer now.
He fights in a very beautiful and stylish way, he has a cool technique.
He is the best now.
Mike Tyson
“As a child, I thought that Tyson was from Ukraine and lives somewhere nearby”
For Lomachenko the legend of the world boxing, whose words begin this text, was the main role model of his childhood. Moreover, the future boxing star was convinced that Tyson lives somewhere nearby because he is Ukrainian.
“As far as I remember, when I was six, I found out that he isn’t Ukrainian at all. I thought that he was from Ukraine and lives somewhere in our country. I always worried about him, rooted for him. So, at one point, we had a conversation with my father, and he said: “Oh no, Mike lives far away in America. And he is not our guy.” I was very upset and commenced to cry. However, 20 years have passed, and now it’s Tyson who speaks about me.”
Symbolically, the style of Vasyl’s behavior in the boxing ring is often compared to another legendary boxer – Roy Jones, who together with Tyson were an example to follow for Lomachenko.
“As they say, he was drawing paintings in the ring. You could watch his fights in one breath. While boxing, he received pleasure. And it was a show. They were those boxers, thanks to whom I was waking up very early.”
“I do not like to lose as much as opponents who talk too much”
A large number of defeats – it isn’t something you can accuse of Lomachenko. On the contrary, one can envy his statistics. However, the athlete himself admits: he does not like to lose, because… he was born for victories.
“I do not like to lose. Apparently, I was born with it. I was born to win, and every defeat, even if we talk about school, kindergarten or some competitions, where I lose something… it’s all frustrating and insulting, the fact that someone is better than me. Of course, it sounds like an overstatement that I was born to win. But I was born with this feeling inside.”
And if you control the number of victories and defeats – this is only about the very athlete and his training, then too confident opponents – it is a complete lottery, where, Vasyl for some reason has big luck.
“I have a personal distaste for all those opponents who talk a lot. They promise to beat me this or that way. This happened to Jamaican boxer Nicholas, who made a picture with me where I looked like a turkey. It was because we had a fight on Thanksgiving. He pinned my face to a turkey and he himself was acting as chief. Such a picture certainly can’t be pleasant.”
“I want to prove that my father is the best coach in the world”
Anyone who follows the performances and victories of Lomachenko at least a little bit knows what important role his father, and at the same time the head coach played in his life.
“Back in childhood I was always around my father in the gym, and when I was six I firmly decided that I would be an Olympic medallist in boxing. I asked my father what is better to win the world championship or the Olympic Games. Dad answered that the Olympics. Then I said I would be an Olympic champion.”
Of course, it can’t be without problems in relationships, but Lomachenko junior convinces: he always values and respects him as a parent, not as a coach. And even in the boxing ring dad remains dad. There is no “re-setting” to the coach mode.
“Speaking about me, the credit goes to the father who trains me. He knows how to make a training process: when you need to be loaded when to reduce the load. He feels the athlete, feels the moment when one can reach the peak of his form. And, of course, he knows the very strategy of boxing very well.”
Although Lomachenko junior emphasizes that the father can teach only half of everything, and the rest is inherent. The ambition and desires of Vasyl say something else: “Loma” seeks to prove that Anatoly Lomachenko is a genius of boxing.
“I want to prove that my father is the best coach in the world, the genius of boxing. As I used to say, I am a game and my father is a player. To win the second title, the third, the fourth one – this is my goal, my plan.”
“Boxers started to forget that boxing is not a business but a sport”
Since childhood father taught Vasyl that a person should do only one job, because trying to do everything, you will do nothing. Therefore, the main goal and entire today’s life of the athlete is boxing.
“Boxing for me is a sport. In my mind, it has not become a business yet. It’s enough for me what they pay for a contract. And I don’t desire the number that is way bigger… Modern boxers have started to forget that first of all, boxing is a sport, not a business. Boxing for me is a sport, just as it was in childhood. Getting the highest award is the satisfaction of your ambitions, the realization of those goals that you yourself have set.”
“There is no such thing as Ukrainian boxing school”
The era of the Klitschko brothers has passed, and today, Ukraine is represented on the international arena by new, young and ambitious athletes. However, is it worth looking, for example, at the success of Lomachenko as at a certain continuation of the success of our “boxing school”?
“Well, what kind of Ukrainian boxing school? You’re talking about Ukrainians, about Klitschko for example, who was trained by German coach when he became professional and moved to Germany. What kind of Ukrainian school are we talking about? I want to upset you, but there is no such thing as Ukrainian boxing school today.
We have a promising and competitive group of boxers and coaches, who took up and developed the best of what was accumulated by predecessors in the field of developing boxing skills. Hence these are the results.”
“I am proud to be born in Ukraine”
In his interviews, Lomachenko quite rarely talks about politics and war. In those few answers to such questions, the boxer emphasizes: Ukraine has raised him and he is proud of this.
“Patriotism is not just talking, but doing something for your own homeland. To make something specific for the country, and make the whole world know about it.
You know, this is my fatherland, here are my roots, here are my friends, relatives, the biggest part of me stays here. I fell naturally, comfortably here – I take it like a duck to the water… In general, in a situation that is in our country now, for the future of the children, perhaps, it would be better to move to the place where I work now, to America. Maybe someday we will do it.”
However, if in a conversation with domestic journalists the boxer allows himself to talk about migration or other topics, for foreign publications he answers more unanimously.
“I am proud to be born in Ukraine. I’m very happy when after my fights our national flag is raised. I am Ukrainian and I am proud of it. Ukraine is a land on which my parents live. Here they gave me a life, here I got a chance to become a famous athlete. This country has raised me.”
By Dmytro Zhuravel
The publication was collected from numerous interviews, speeches, and appeals of the material’s protagonist.
