#Meet the man from Chernobyl: Lomachenko was born near site of the disaster"

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Meet the man from Chernobyl: Lomachenko was born near site of the disaster

The most extraordinary maestro of the noble handicraft that the boxing world was ever born in Ukraine two years after the atrocities of Chernobyl

Few of Vasyl Lomachenko's compatriots will argue with the idea that we have the genius to look at his unified world lightweight championship in the O2 Arena of London against Luke Campbell this Saturday is in a strange part of the product of that nuclear disaster.

All kinds of mutant reactions have been attributed to the sinister, invisible cloud that spread its poison.

Vasyl Lomachenko the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, is ready for Luke Campbell

[19459279] & # 39; Loma & # 39; (right), as he is known, often sparring with three hunters simultaneously in training

The largest pound-by-pound boxer in the ring was born 420 miles before today The site of that nightmare accident , but Lomachenko says: & # 39; Maybe I am the man from Chernobyl. & # 39;

He says that in response to the question how he came through the unique style, mental powers and physical traits that set him apart from the mere mortals of the prize ring. Does he mean it? Even the least is a powerful metaphor.

Certainly, he is the product of extreme science. What became known as the Loma experiment started when his father Anatoly wore a pair of boxing gloves on his hands when he was only two days old.

Not a day later from his path to become the greatest boxer of all time, which his father always thought was his son's destiny. And he still meets us on the banks of the Thames.

From now on, Lomachenko is the best pound for pound for boxer on planet Earth. Although he is considered a phenomenon. No wonder his first nickname was The Matrix.

The regime to which Loma, as he is known to family and friends, submits to intensity. & # 39; Dad & # 39;, who is also his trainer, has been carelessly compared to Dr. Frankenstein by some. But he is not a nuclear monster.

The Ukrainian site became two years after the disaster born near the Chernobyl site

Luke Campbell hopes to disrupt the chances when he fights against Lomachenko in the O2 Arena

Loma says: & # 39; I love my life. Always have. It is what I want to do. I also never divorce father from trainer. He is my father in life, but also my father in the gym, my father in my corner. He originally created my style to take care of me in a dangerous game. Protect the head, keep my health. & # 39;

Together they developed the remarkable movement that broadens the astonishing angles from which it delivers punches that are barely visible to opponents before they land. You wonder about this kaleidoscope of brilliance is surprised at everything that is needed to achieve. Like sparring against three men at the same time. Yes, three.

I have always been a fast learner. I can get as close to an immediate reflex as humanly possible

Loma laughs: & # 39; It's usually a sparring partner. Sometimes two. Occasionally three. I'm telling you a secret. To be honest, it is easier against three than two. The three stand in each other's way more than the two, so if you also understand the positioning that makes it easier for me to take them away. & # 39;

That requires lightning speed not only from hand but from foot. To achieve that as a boy, he had to be banned from the gym to dance classes for three years.

& # 39; I didn't like that & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; It was the Ukrainian national dance with customs. But my father insisted. In retrospect it was worth it. & # 39;

Lomachenko (left) and Campbell (right) stand in line at a press conference in London in July

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It was one of many strict lessons. & # 39; I tell you one story, & # 39; he says. & # 39; One day I came home from school with a low grade My father said I should go back and improve the grade. I didn't take it seriously. After two days he asked if I had done that. I said no. So he said I wasn't going back. I could go to the gym until I did.

& # 39; After two more days, he asked again. I answered no and was banned from the gym for another two days. So I got the books and got the higher grade.

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To improve his focus and sharpen his brain, Lomachenko holds his breath under water – and his record is four and a half minutes

& # 39 Then my father said: & # 39; OK & # 39 ;. But he added that he had heard me talk about winning Olympic gold. He said that somewhere in another country there was another boy with the same dream, but now I was behind that boy for five days. He told me that I could not become a world champion without a trained brain. & # 39;

What subject did he sparkle? & # 39; I can't remember if it was the Russian language or history. It certainly wasn't math. I love mathematics. & # 39;

There The Matrix speaks. They started training together and learned Loma & # 39; s mind as demandingly as his body. The Brain Box is one of their devices.

& # 39; I need to respond to lights and stimuli by touch as quickly as possible. I have always been a fast learner. Always on speed. I can come as close as possible to an immediate reflex when human is possible. & # 39;

Maybe inhumanly. Some physical excesses are also designed to sharpen the brain. Like holding his breath under water.

Campbell (left) is the tallest opponent Lomachenko has ever faced has faced in his professional career

& # 39; My record is four and a half minutes & # 39 ;, says Loma. & # 39; My dad says it's four minutes and twenty seconds, but he always wants more. I haven't done so much lately, but I think I can reach five minutes now. It is not only physical. It teaches the brain to remain calm and focused under pressure. Down there it means more to me to win a fight than to breathe. I never panic when I am tired or hurt. I still think about when I can hardly breathe. & # 39;

Lomachenko is forever immersed in sports, the son of a boxing father and a mother who still practices gymnastics and martial arts. & # 39; I have done everything & # 39 ;, he says.

& # 39; Ice hockey, horse riding, rowing, wrestling, juggling tennis balls, basketball, swimming 10 kilometers. & # 39;

But not chess, unlike many large Eastern European hunters such as the Klitschko brothers and Gennady Golovkin. & # 39; I can't sit properly & # 39 ;, he smiles. & # 39; But I was good at soccer. I played front left (Eden Hazard style as he explains) but with all the boxing it never got serious.

The Ukrainian father has always been by his side even when he went to dance classes

& # 39; When my dad threw me in football, it was for something else. I had to hold it up 300 times with my feet. One hundred, one hundred and fifty, two hundred was OK. But it took me three hours to get to the 300. It teaches focus, concentration, determination. & # 39;

Like 15 rounds of four minutes of sparring against larger hunters: & # 39; At my size (5ft 7in) I am usually boxing bigger opponents. But no one as big as Luke Campbell (5ft 9in) just to solve that problem for this weekend's fight, I have worked with men who are ever taller than he is. & # 39;

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Pause and consider the record of this man. Only one defeat in 396 amateur attacks, with that defeat twice avenged. Double gold medalist at the Olympic Games and world championships amateur. Won first world title, by featherweight, in only his third pro fight (after he had suffered his only defeat in a rushed bid to win a belt in his second fight) and achieves the record for winning a world title in a third weight distribution in only his 12th fight.

Because of all this, his father has been there. & # 39; It will always be that & # 39 ;, he says and not just in Papa's tattoo by his side. & # 39; Of course we have had our differences over the years. Our arguments. Our problems. But he always wins. Because it ultimately comes to an ultimatum. He says calmly that if I want to go my way, he wishes me the best, but he will be without him. & # 39;

The moral support of both his mother and his wife Elena is also vital. Like that of his lifelong best friend & # 39; from the house opposite our & # 39 ;. That is why, although he is training for his American battles in the Los Angeles area, he still lives in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskiy, the Black Sea resort, where he sold newspapers and ice cream on the beach for pocket money.

However, neither the family members nor the best friend enter the battle. He explains: & # 39; My mother came to a couple, but she was afraid of me. Elena came once but was nervous. And when they get there, I know they're worried about doing something so dangerous and distracting me. & # 39;

Lomachenko had only one defeat in 396 amateur matches, with those defeat twice avenged

The laser focus is on Campbell – & # 39; A very good hunter with a high boxing IQ that I would never easily take & # 39; – right now. And he enjoys it to be in London where he won his second Olympic gold.

He is happy to pose for photos against the skyscraper background of Canary Wharf. I love the architecture, the structure & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; I also love people, they love boxing and I could go on d e Games see that they understand. I was here for the last time for the Dillian Whyte fight against Oscar Rivas and the atmosphere in the O2 was fantastic. That I look forward to. I feel that every real Englishman has boxing at some point in his life. Jeffrey Powell spent Monday vacation with Lomachenko near Canary Wharf "class =" blkBorder img- "

Jeff Powell of Sportsmail spent Bank Holiday Monday with Lomachenko at Canary Wharf

Anatoly Jnr, at seven, has had his first two fights. & # 39; Two wins & # 39 ;, says Loma. & # 39; Although my father told him he had scored a draw because it is not good for a young boy to think that things will come easily. It will be his decision whether to become a boxer. But if he does, we'll help him. & # 39;

Besides being with our families, there would have been no more pleasant way to spend a sun-drenched holiday on Monday morning than next to the Thames with these sporty big chats about his unique style. So could there be a nasty head start on him?

& # 39; All champions have a great ego, & # 39; he says. & # 39; I think I am the best pound for pound in the world. Terence Crawford thinks so. Cinnamon Alvarez thinks so.

& For me, Crawford is second, Alvarez third. Although none of us accept losing.

& # 39; But you are a journalist, no danger to me. Come see on Saturday evening when the Loma Chip will be on my shoulder. & # 39;

So where did that come from? When was this determined that this disarming 31-year-old would scale like Elysian heights? & # 39; Before he was born & # 39 ;, says Papa Lomachenko.

Not long after Chernobyl, then?

Lomachenko v Campbell will be broadcast live this Saturday on Sky Sports Box Office

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