Vasyl Lomachenko vs Luke Campbell fight result: Ukrainian beats Briton by unanimous decision to unify WBC, WBA and WBO lightweight titles

Pound-for-pound king secured an 11th-round knockdown on his way to a 119-108, 119-108, 118-109 unanimous victory that does not tell the tale of Campbell’s heart and resilience

The majestic Vasyl Lomachenko produced a relentless barrage of body shots to outclass Luke Campbell and retain his world titles.

Prevailing on points (119-108, 119-108, 118-109) failed to tell the story though, as Campbell’s resilience to rise from the canvas in the 11th and the Ukrainian’s beauty thrilled a sold out O2. The champion kept his WBA and WBO lightweight titles and picked up the vacant WBC belt to move closer to the undisputed status at 135 pounds that he will surely clinch next year.

Having left Anthony Crolla mesmerised earlier this year, it was Campbell’s turn to try crack the code and show signs that the brilliant Ukrainian is indeed human.

The Hull man had already displayed resilience entering the bout, having pushed another victim of Lomachenko’s, Jorge Linares, two years ago just weeks after his father passed away.

His second crack at a world title would come seven years after both fighters’ paths crossed at London 2012, with both shining on their way to gold. But while ‘Loma’ has surged to the pinnacle of the professional game, Campbell has taken a more arduous route, prevailing after a setbacks against Yvan Mendy and Linares to earn his shot at testing the world's best.

A patient Lomachenko examined Campbell from the first bell, leaving the challenger to seize the centre of the ring and throw up a variety of angles that may not have made his opponent flinch, but certainly forced him to reach for a more intricate way through.

A combination of Campbell’s southpaw stance and range saw Lomachenko fail to immediately find his rhythm, handing Campbell encouragement and likely a share of the first few rounds.

But like a bolt of lightning, Lomachenko found his target in the third, a clean straight left unsettled Campbell, who did well to earn a nod of the head from the Ukrainian after responding with a smart uppercut of his own. This was unfolding into an intense, compelling chess match.

The two exchanged crushing shots throughout the fight (Reuters) (Action Images via Reuters)

And Loma began to swipe away at Campbell’s body, a trend that would define this fight, ensuring his opponent’s escape off the ropes became gradually slower.

Despite Campbell’s considerable length for a lightweight, Lomachenko’s brief stay inside the pocket was testing trainer Shane McGuigan’s plan to its limits. And a crushing left hook finally removed Campbell from his smooth approach in the fifth, with body shots quickly raining in before the bell saved the challenger as he briefly staggered back to his corner.

But Campbell was undeterred, firing back whenever the bank of momentum he had built up appeared to be disappearing. After catching Lomachenko in the corner with a smart combination in the seventh, the Ukrainian stormed out like a bull, beautifully mixing up his arsenal of shots as Campbell incredibly weathered another storm.

Campbell's 11th-round trip to the canvas put the cherry on the cake for Lomachenko (Reuters) (Action Images via Reuters)

Mimicking the onslaught to the body appeared to stem the tide as Lomachenko was forced to swerve the instinctive counters from Campbell as the bout caught fire once again in the eighth.

A brief pause in the action occurred as the 10th started, with Lomachenko’s face coated in vaseline, before the flow of the fight quickly resumed. Campbell’s resilience continued to defy belief as the wincing attacks continued, but his monotonous jab and instinctive footwork proved as effective as almost any weapon thrown in the way of the mercurial Lomachenko during his short, 15-fight professional career.

Campbell’s chin stood up to the test too after a thudding, clean straight left in the 11th, but moments later Campbell would be rising from the canvas; bludgeoned by more energy-sapping work to the body, he survived the onslaught to reach the 12th.

Lomachenko is now the WBC, WBA and WBO lightweight champion (Reuters) (Action Images via Reuters)

A stern word from referee Victor Loughlin for a low shot would not deny Lomachenko one last foray at taking out the ballsy Campbell, who tricked his way to the final bell with an interpretation of a wrestling move, hooking the leg of his opponent as he tumbled over.

His feat earned the respect of the outstanding champion, yet provided no more evidence of how to solve the mystery of Lomachenko.