Vasyl Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla fight result: Ukrainian wins by knockout in fourth round of lopsided contest

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Vasyl Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla preview weigh in

Vasyl Lomachenko defended his WBA and WBO lightweight belts on Friday night with a violent fourth-round stoppage of Britain’s Anthony Crolla.

Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs) brutalized the mandatory challenger for his WBA belt throughout their fight, nearly ending it late in the third round when the Ukrainian star knocked Crolla into the ropes.

Referee Jack Reiss allowed the fight to continue, and Lomachenko finished after the break with a right hand that dropped Crolla face-first onto the canvas with a broken nose.

Lomachenko showed the folly of this matchup by thoroughly outclassing Crolla (34-7-3), a tough but overmatched contender. Lomachenko had hoped to take on Richard Commey in a three-belt unification fight, but Commey’s injured hand forced Lomachenko’s promoters to make this fight.

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Undercard results

Gilberto Ramirez def. Tommy Karpency via TKO (corner stoppage)

Arnold Barboza Jr. def. Mike Alvarado via KO

Alexander Besputin def. Alfredo Blanco via decsion

Janibek Alimkhanuly def. Cristian Olivas via decision

Guido Vianello def. Lawrence Gabriel via KO

Ruben Rodriguez def. Ramel Snegur via decision

[13 April 2019 02:34 · Tom Kershaw]

Welcome to The Independent's live coverage as Vasyl Lomachenko defends his WBA and WBO lightweight world titles against Manchester's Anthony Crolla in Los Angeles.

[13 April 2019 02:55 · Tom Kershaw]

Can Anthony Crolla pull off the biggest upset in British boxing history?

[13 April 2019 03:03 · Tom Kershaw]

Eddie Hearn:

It would be the biggest shock in British boxing history. It would go down as a huge win. There are many fighters who have been in this situation but Anthony has zero fear. He's ready to challenge himself and face the very best and he's in great shape.

[13 April 2019 03:22 · Tom Kershaw]

Anthony Crolla and his trainer Joe Gallagher believe they've pinpointed flaws in the Ukrainian's supreme technique.

[13 April 2019 03:23 · Tom Kershaw]

Meanwhile, Lomachenko is looking to line his pockets in a crossover bout against Conor McGregor. Don't hold your breath.

[13 April 2019 03:33 · Tom Kershaw]

  ↵Not too long now...

[13 April 2019 03:39 · Tom Kershaw]

So as we build up to the main event, let's take a look back at the highlight knockouts of tonight's early undercard bouts.

[13 April 2019 03:45 · Tom Kershaw]

[13 April 2019 03:49 · Tom Kershaw]

[13 April 2019 03:55 · Tom Kershaw]