Vasyl Lomachenko won a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza to retain the WBA and win the WBO Lightweight title at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Rounds were competitive over the course of the fight, with Lomachenko landing the more memorable shots throughout.  Pedraza did his best to slip and move while mixing in some offense in an effort to slow Lomachenko.  The Ukranian fighter, who is atop many pound for pound lists just had more in his arsenal.

In round eleven, Loamchenko opened up on Pedraza as he hurt him with a hard left him.  Lomachenko continued to land  hard and flush punches against Pedraza, who was barely punching back.  The result of that onslaught were two knockdowns that came seconds apart.  Lomachenko tried his best to close the show, but Pedraza was game and showed his veteran tactics to hear the final bell.

Lomachenko, 134.4 lbs of Akermann, UKR won by scores 119-107 and 117-109 twice   and is now 12-1.  Pedraza, 134.2 lbs of Cidra, PR is 25-2.

“It was my dream to unify titles,” Lomachenko said. “It was my next goal. I can now focus on my next chapter.

“He’s a veteran. He did a very good job, and I respect Pedraza and his team.”

Said Pedraza: “I am happy with my performance tonight. I went 12 rounds with the best fighter in the world. I knew what we were going up against. I thought it was a close fight until the knockdowns. At the end of the day, I am proud of what I did.”

Emanuel Navarrete won the WBO Super Bantamweight title via 12-round unanimous decision to dethrone Isaac Dogboe.

Although not pretty at times, Navarrete pushed the action as he featured body shots.  Dogboe retreated for most of the bout.  Dogboe suffered swelling over his right eye in round nine, and never got into a rhythm.

Navarrete, 122 lbs of Mexico City won by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113 to improve to 26-1.  Dogboe, 120.8 lbs of Accra, GHA is now 20-1.

“I thank Dogboe for this opportunity,” Navarrete said. “This world championship represents every day that I was working away from my family. This title represents sacrifice. I injured my right hand early in the fight, but I had the desire to be a champion and I did everything necessary to get the title, and I am very happy and proud to achieve this goal of being the world champion.”

Said Dogboe: “It was a great fight, and Emanuel Navarrete fought like a true Mexican warrior. Champions are supposed to keep going under any circumstance, but I just couldn’t get the victory. The best man won tonight.”

Top prospect Teofimo Lopez blew out Mason Menard in the 1st round of their scheduled ten-round lightweight fight for the USBA/NABA/NAF titles.

Lopez rocked Menard in the opening seconds of the bout, and then uncorked a perfect right to the jaw that had Menard plummet face-first on the canvas, and the fight was immediately stopped at 44 seconds

Lopez, 135 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 11-0 with nine knockouts.  Menard, 135 lbs of Rayne, LA is 34-4.

“I knew he was a tough fighter. I knew he could fight,” Lopez said. “I wanted to test him, and I took a chance early in the fight. I know he trained hard, and he didn’t want it to go that way. But this is ‘The Takeover.’ ‘The Takeover’ has begun.

“In 2019, I will be a world champion. That’s a guarantee.”

Brian Ceballo remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Daniel Calzada in a welterweight bout.

Ceballo, 147.8 lbs of New York won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 6-0.  Calzada, 147.5 lbs of Denver, CO is 16-20-3.

Alexander Besputin remained perfect by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Abreu in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Besputin dropped Abreu with a straight left.

Besputin, 146.6 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 100-88 on all cards, and is now 12-0.  Abreu, 146.8 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 21-5-1.

“He fought a very uncomfortable, dirty fight, but I dominated,” Besputin said. “I am ready for a world title fight next.”

Italian Olympian Guido Vianello made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Luke Lyons in a heavyweight bout.

In round one, Vianello dropped Lyons with a hard right hand.  In round two, Vianello dropped Lyons with a combination and the fight was waved off at 29 seconds.

Vianello, 236 lbs of Rome, ITA is 1-0 with one knockout.  Lyons, 239.8 lbs of Ashland, KY is 5-2.

“It was a dream come true to make my professional debut at Madison Square Garden,” Vianello said. “I hope I did Italy proud. I came here tonight to score a knockout, and I delivered.”

Josue Vargas stopped John Renteria in round five of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

In round two, Vargas dropped Renteria with a left hand. In round four, he sent Renteria down with a right hook to the head.

Vargas, 142.6 lbs of Bronx, NY is 12-1 with eight knockouts. Renteria, 142.8 lbs of Panama City, PAN is 16-6-1.

In round five, Vargas finished off Renteria with a combination that put him on the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 31 seconds

Abdiel Ramirez stopped Michael Perez in the final round of their eight-round super lightweight bout

In round four, Perez dropped Ramirez with a hard uppercut.

Ramirez came back to hurt Perez in the final round with a right hand. He followed that up with two crushing uppercuts that dropped Perez, and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Ramirez, 142.4 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, MEX is 24-3-1 with 22 knockouts. Perez. 142.4 lbs of Newark, NJ is 25-3-2.

NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 6, 2018) – WBA lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and WBO lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza exchanged pleasantries on a brisk New York afternoon two days before their title unification tilt, Saturday evening at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET).

In the co-feature, Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe will make the second defense of his WBO junior featherweight world title against Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete. Dogboe snatched the title from Jessie Magdaleno back in April and defended it Aug. 25 with a first-round knockout over Hidenori Otake.

In the televised opener, unbeaten lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez faces his toughest test to date in veteran Mason Menard.

And, in a special attraction (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET), 2016 Italian Olympian Guido Vianello will make his pro debut against Luke Lyons in a six-round heavyweight clash.

Here is what the fighters had to say Thursday from Madison Square Garden’s Chase Square.

Vasiliy Lomachenko

On his surgically repaired shoulder

“I had a very interesting camp. I had hard sparring sessions and good preparation for this fight. I used all of my punches, and I think it will be the same as before {the surgery}.”

On Pedraza as a challenge

“I can’t answer that now. I need to feel what he brings, and after that, I can compare.”

“His style is not very interesting and not comfortable for all boxers because he’s always on defense and waiting for a mistake. If you’ve seen my fights, it will be similar to the {Miguel} Marriaga fight. They have the same style.”

On fighters out there who are a challenge

“In my weight class and closer to my weight class, we don’t have a big superstar. Yes, we have big names at 147, but I can’t move up to 147 now because it’s too much {weight}, I think.”

On Manny Pacquiao

“I’m not disrespecting Pacquiao, but I don’t want to make my name bigger because I beat an old legend. I have my own road. There are a lot of good fighters to fight who are comparable to me. He’s old. I think his career is done. I don’t want to become a legend in boxing because of him.”

On his plans for 2019

“Seriously, I want a fight with Mikey Garcia. I think this fight will happen. Then, I don’t know.”

Jose Pedraza

“Since the moment I signed to fight {Ray} Beltran, I knew that the winner was going to fight Lomachenko. Mentally, I’ve been preparing, staying positive, staying focused, and also physically, I’m well prepared.”

“I had a great training camp for this fight. Lomachenko is a great fighter, a complete fighter, and I know that I will have to be at my best. I am prepared to put on a good fight.”

“Me {unifying} the titles on Saturday would mean a lot to {Puerto Rico}. It would be the first Christmas after what happened with Hurricane Maria. Definitely, me winning on Saturday would bring a lot of joy and blessings to the island.”

Isaac Dogboe

“We couldn’t have asked for a better 2018. Before entering into 2018, my uncle said to me, ‘All you have to do is dance into 2018. Be happy.’ And that’s exactly what we did. We started by knocking out Cesar Juarez, another fine Mexican fighter. And we moved on to Jessie Magdaleno, another tough world champion. He’s one of the best in my division. And after that, we defended it against Hidenori Otake, one of Japan’s toughest fighters. It’s been a blessing. Three knockouts out of three fights, and this will be four knockouts out of four fights in 2018. It’s always been a blessing.”

“Emanuel Navarrete is also one of Mexico’s finest fighters, as tough as they come. He reminds me of Israel Vazquez and Juan Manuel Marquez. These are great, great legendary fighters. When he talks about the fighting spirit of the Mexicans, you know he’s going to come and fight.”

Emanuel Navarrete

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to fight a great super bantamweight champion like Isaac Dogboe. What better way to become a world champion than to do it on a stage like Madison Square Garden.”

“Maybe people don’t know me, but I’ve had a great career in my country and I’m focused on taking advantage of this opportunity and bringing the title home to Mexico.”

Teofimo Lopez

“It’s my fourth time {fighting at Madison Square Garden}. Like always, I am here to put on a show and ‘The Takeover.’ That’s what I’ve always said, and come Saturday night, we’re here to take over the show.”

“2019, I will become world champion.”

“I know Mason Menard. He’s going to definitely come out there and fight, bring the fight. But they all try the same thing, and it’s not going to work. No matter what they do, no matter what they try, they’re in there with a real one.”

Guido Vianello

“When I started in boxing, my dream was to go to the Olympics and go to America for a fight in Madison Square Garden with Top Rank. So now the dream {has come true}. I am very excited and ready for this fight.”

“I am a mix between {Wladimir} Klitschko and Muhammad Ali. I move in the ring and I am aggressive. I want to box and fight.”

On training with Abel Sanchez

“I have the best training in the world. The training was very hard every day in Big Bear. We ran every morning. For this, I am very, very ready for the fight.”

ESPN, 9 p.m. ET

Vasiliy Lomachenko (WBA lightweight champion) vs. Jose Pedraza (WBO lightweight champion), 12 rounds, lightweight unification

Isaac Dogboe (champion) vs. Emanuel Navarrete (challenger), 12 rounds, WBO junior featherweight world title

Teofimo Lopez vs. Mason Menard,10 rounds, lightweight

ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET

Alexander Besputin vs. Juan Carlos Abreu, 10 rounds, Besputin’s USBA welterweight title

Guido Vianello vs. Luke Lyons, 6 rounds, heavyweight

Josue Vargas vs. John Renteria, 8 rounds, super lightweight

Michael Perez vs. Abdiel Ramirez, 8 rounds, super lightweight

Brian Ceballo vs. Daniel Calzada, 6/4 rounds, welterweight

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden, tickets for the Lomachenko-Pedraza world championship event are on sale now. Priced at $506, $356, $206, $106, and $56, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at ticketmaster.com and MSG.com.

Use the hashtag #LomaPedraza to join the conversation on social media.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Dec. 5, 2018) – WBA lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, WBO lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza, unbeaten WBO junior featherweight world champion Isaac Dogboe, unbeaten lightweight sensation Teofimo Lopez, and Italian heavyweight prospect Guido Vianello took a break from their last-minute fight preparations to head over to Gleason’s Gym to speak to a group of youngsters from Give A Kid A Dream. The foundation provides mentorship opportunities to at-risk youth through boxing.

More than 30 children from the foundation were on hand as the fighters discussed the hard work required to become a world-class fighter. Each fighter demonstrated drills for the children, signed autographs, and gave a few lucky children in-the-ring tutorials.

Lomachenko and Pedraza also took a break to answer a few questions about Saturday’s showdown. This is what they had to say.

Vasiliy Lomachenko

On training camp

“I had a really good camp. I am looking forward to getting back in the ring on Saturday. Madison Square Garden is my favorite place to fight. It is like another home for me. It is a very special place.”

On recovery from torn labrum suffered during Linares bout and fighting through pain

“I am 100 percent. I feel good. When the injury happened, I was mentally prepared to deal with it. I still had my feet. I still had another hand. I am very competitive. I feel like when you step in the ring, you need to finish the fight.”

On Pedraza as a fighter and what he’ll bring to the table

“Nobody knows yet. I’ve had a long rest. Now, I load a new program into my head. We’ll see what happens.”

On recovering and resting following the surgery

“It was good for me to rest. I have been boxing since I was a child. I had a lot of competition. It was my first rest and first big vacation in my life.”

Jose Pedraza

“The time is almost here. The desire to win is very high. I have visualized all the possible scenarios. I’ve seen myself winning, I’ve seen myself knocking him out, I’ve seen myself pulling out the victory coming from behind. The closer the fight approaches, the more I see myself with my hands held high and with the two titles on my shoulders. I already fulfilled my goal of becoming a world champion, and now I’m going after the goal of unifying titles.”

“The titles will return to Puerto Rico with me. I know that it will not be an easy fight. I will be facing one of the best fighters in the world. He has tremendous skills, but I know that I also have great skills and the necessary focus to come out with the victory. Puerto Rico deserves a moment of happiness. I’m going to do it for them, and my family.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden, tickets for the Lomachenko-Pedraza world championship event are on sale now. Priced at $506, $356, $206, $106, and $56, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at ticketmaster.com and MSG.com.

Lomachenko-Pedraza, Dogboe’s WBO junior featherweight title defense against Emanuel Navarrete, and Lopez versus Mason Menard will headline a special three-fight edition of Top Rank on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET, which will follow the 84th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Presentation.

All undercard bouts, including Vianello’s pro debut against Luke Lyons, will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

NEW YORK CITY (Nov. 5, 2018) – Teofimo Lopez is determined to take over the lightweight division. Italian heavyweight and former amateur standout Guido Vianello, who recently signed a multi-year professional contract with Top Rank, is hoping to make a statement in his scheduled six-round pro debut against Luke Lyons (5-1-1, 2 KOs).

Lopez (10-0, 8 KOs), who hails from Brooklyn, will battle Mason Menard (34-3, 24 KOs) for the vacant NABF lightweight title in a 10-rounder on the undercard of the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jose Pedraza lightweight world title unification bout, Dec. 8 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Lomachenko-Pedraza, Isaac Dogboe’s WBO junior featherweight title defense against Emanuel Navarrete, and Lopez-Menard will headline a special edition of Top Rank on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET, which will follow the 84th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Presentation.

Vianello-Lyons and the rest of the undercard will stream live at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden, tickets for this world championship event are on sale now. Priced at $506, $356, $206, $106, and $56, tickets can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008), and online at ticketmaster.com and MSG.com.

“The ‘Takeover’ is coming back to the Mecca of Boxing,” Lopez said. “I am going to steal the show once again. It’s my night. It’s time to finish 2018 with a bang. Expect a big celebration after I stop Mason Menard. I was born in Brooklyn, so you know I have to represent my hometown.”

“I am looking forward to fighting Teofimo on Dec. 8. It’s been my dream to fight at Madison Square Garden, and the fact that I am being given a chance to perform on Lomachenko’s undercard live on ESPN is incredible,” Menard said. “I can assure everyone that I will be 100 percent ready, and my performance will lead me to a world title shot.”

“I am so happy to be joining Top Rank and to debut at Madison Square Garden on a Lomachenko undercard, which is a dream come true for me,” Vianello said. “I will do my country proud. I promise I will bring excitement and knockouts to the heavyweight division and ultimately fulfill my destiny of becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.”

The 21-year-old Lopez emerged in 2018 with a string of dominating wins and attention-grabbing post-win dances. In May, on the Lomachenko-Jorge Linares undercard at Madison Square Garden, he knocked out Vitor Jones Freitas in the opening round and went viral after performing the “Take The L” dance from the Fortnite video game. He last fought July 14 in New Orleans, knocking out the durable William Silva in six rounds despite suffering a broken right hand earlier in the fight. He underwent surgery the following week. Fully recovered, Lopez hopes to make headlines once again. Menard, an 11-year pro with a vicious right hand, is coming off a decision victory against Ronald Rivas on Oct. 13 in Gary, Ind.

Vianello, a 6-foot-6 power puncher from Rome, went 87-15 in the amateur ranks and fell short in the Round of 16 at the 2016 Olympics. One of the most popular boxers to emerge from the Italian amateur system in quite some time, Vianello is training in Big Bear Lake, Calif., under the guidance of Abel Sanchez. He’s already sparred the likes of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury as he prepares his transition to the paid ranks.

In addition to Vianello-Lyons, the ESPN+ stream will include:

Welterweight punching sensation Alexander Besputin (11-0, 9 KOs) will make the first defense of his USBA title against Juan Carlos Abreu (21-4-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Besputin knocked out Alan Sanchez on Sept. 14 to win the belt. Abreu is coming off a competitive unanimous decision defeat to Egidijus Kavaliauskas, which headlined an ESPN broadcast on July 7 in Fresno, Calif.

Josue “The Prodigy” Vargas (11-1, 7 KOs), from The Bronx, N.Y., will make his Top Rank debut against John Renteria (16-5-1, 12 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight fight. Vargas has won five straight since his lone defeat, which came via disqualification against Samuel Santana.

Michael Perez (25-2-2, 11 KOs) will come back from a nearly 20-month layoff to take on Abdiel Ramirez (23-3-1, 21 KOs) in an eight-rounder at lightweight. Perez, a longtime contender, hails from Newark, N.J.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing.Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing,@ESPN, @ESPNBoxeo, @ESPNDeportes.

Use the hashtag #LomaPedraza to join the conversation on social media.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.plus.espn.com.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN.ESPN+ offers fans two exclusives, original boxing programs: The Boxing Beat with Dan Rafael (Tuesdays, weekly) and Counterpunch (twice monthly). In addition to exclusive Top Rank boxing content, programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.