Lomachenko destroyed Nakatani in nine rounds

The Ukrainian got back to winning ways with a brilliant performance against the Japanese in The Theater at Virgin Hotel

Vasiliy Lomachenko didn’t officially return to any light heavyweight throne this Saturday night, but he certainly looked like a light heavyweight king.

Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) delivered a masterful performance in a ninth round knockout over Masayoshi Nakatani (19-2, 13 KOs) at the Virgin Hotel Theater.

It was Lomachenko’s first appearance since losing the undisputed championship title to Teofimo Lopez last October and reaffirmed him as one of the best 135-pound fighters in the world.

The end of the fight came at 1:48 of the ninth round, when referee Celestino Ruiz intervened during a prolonged flurry of punches in the center of the ring.

Nakatani, who survived an earlier knockdown in the fifth round, was practically knocked out on his feet. He tried to clinch with Lomachenko to stop the barrage, but Lomachenko consistently created space and connected at will.