Vasiliy Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jr. live updates: How to ...

On Saturday, Vasiliy Lomachenko will be fighting George Kambosos Jr. and duking it out with Father Time.

He is a heavy favorite entering the lightweight bout in Perth, Australia, with the IBF lightweight world championship at stake. But at 36, the Ukrainian star may be in decline.

It’s no ordinary 36. Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, started boxing at 4, logged 397 amateur fights and has a pro record of 17-3 with 11 knockouts.

“When I beat Lomachenko, there'll be no more road for him to go," Kambosos said this week. “This is retirement for him, I truly believe it.’’

But the 30-year-old Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) will be fighting not only Lomachenko but for championship-caliber credibility.

After handing Teofimo Lopez his first loss in 2021, Kambosos suffered back-to-back, one-sided losses to Devin Haney followed by an unimpressive majority decision victory over Maxi Hughes.

Lomachenko, by contrast, lost a controversial unanimous decision to Haney a year ago. The fight against Kambosos is his first since.

“It will be very, very interesting for both (of us),’’ Lomachenko said. “It’ll be interesting for all fans of boxing.”

The Lomachenko-Kambosos broadcast is set to begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.

The Lomachenko-Kambosos fight will air on ESPN.

The Lomachenko-Kambosos fight will be available to stream on ESPN+.

• Matt Verri, The Evening Standard: "Kambosos will be roared on by thousands of Australian fans, but he cannot match Lomachenko if this turns into a tactical bout at distance." Prediction: Lomachenko by unanimous decision.
• Norm Frauenheim, The Ring: "Lomachenko has a chance to remind the world and perhaps himself that he still possesses much of the skill so aptly defined by his original nickname: Hi-Tech." Prediction: TKO, 10th round.
• Alex Ballentine, Bleacher Report: "Ultimately, it’s hard to see Lomachenko not winning this one unless he’s fallen off the age cliff." Prediction: Lomachenko by unanimous decision.
• Shawn Porter, former world champion: “(Lomachenko) is very precise. He’s a sharpshooter in there. One of the very few precise punchers that has a heckuva power in both hands.’’ Prediction: Lomachenko by decision.
• Teddy Atlas, boxing analyst: “I think it’s going to be a competitive fight. …The question mark for me is, how much does Loma have left?’’ Prediction: Lomachenko wins

• Action: Lomachenko -750 favorite, Kambosos +460 underdog
• Bet MGM: Lomachenko -650 favorite, Kambosos +450 underdog
• DraftKings: Lomachenko -700 favorite, Kambosos +475 underdog
• FanDuel: Lomachenko -750 favorite, Kambosos +460 underdog

• Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos, 12 rounds, for the vacant IBF lightweight title
• Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara, 12 rounds, for the WBC interim super flyweight title
• Nina Hughes vs. Cherneka Johnson, 10 rounds, for the WBA bantamweight championship

Lomachenko weighed in at 135 pounds for the fight. Kambosos weighed in at 134.25 pounds.

The required championship limit was 135 pounds.

Lomachenko is 17-3 with 11 knockouts. As an amateur, Lomachenko was 396-1 and won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. Kambosos is 21-2 with 11 KOs.

Lomachenko won world title fast

Lomachenko won the WBO featherweight title in his third fight, tying the record for fewest fights needed before winning a world championship. He also has won world titles in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions and five world championships overall.

Lomachenko lost his lightweight titles to Teofimo Lopez in 2020 after losing their fight by unanimous decision.

Lomachenko started boxing when he was 4 years old. After an amateur career that saw him go 396-1 and win two Olympic gold medals, he made his professional debut in 2013 at the age of 25.

At his father’s direction, Lomachenko took a four-year sabbatical from boxing between 9 and 13 to focus on dance. With that, he developed his famous footwork that has served him well in the ring.

Throwing in the towel became a trendy way to exit early against Lomachenko in 2016 and 2017. His opponents took that route during consecutive bouts.

Nicholas Walters quit after the seventh round in 2016; Jason Sosa’s trainer threw in the towel after the ninth round in 2016; Miguel Marriaga’s corner stopped the fight after the seventh round in 2017; and Guillermo Rigondeaux quit after the sixth round in 2017.