Is Loma too talented? Or is Mancini too strong? Not to pick on Loma, but I think it would be the latter at 135. Mancini just too big, strong, and relentless for lil Loma.
I agree with JOM, Ray has his moments, but ultimately just isn't good enough. So long as Loma throws punches while fighting off the back-foot, he should win. Ray definitely has a style that's troublesome for Lomachenko though, and he can well win if he focussed on the body.
I could see scenarios with either fighter winning - Mancini's struggle with southpaw technician Romero bodes well for Loma, while Loma's loss to Salido bodes well for Mancini.
The thing is, when have we ever seen Loma box 'off the back foot', like, truly off the back foot? He has nifty footwork, of course, but it is always aggressive in application, which his short reach exacerbates further. Loma is really a well schooled aggressive volume puncher. Whenever he has backed away from opponents (or has been forced to do so) his output nearly always declines and he struggles more to assert himself. He at the most boxes within the center, looking for an angle turn up close but not inside completely (which could be real bad considering Mancini's strength and doggedness). I might sound like a hater for this, but I think a Mancini KO could be likely here. Loma's movement is classy but he is not avoiding shots from Ray forever, especially if Ray goes balls to wall knowing a KO is needed. Still, Loma is the superior in class/talent imo and I'd most likely agree with Ring Leader's statement - either man winning is feasible.
Yeah, I just don't see Loma being able to keep Ray off. He has neither the firepower of Arguello, nor is he as physically strong and mean as Bramble.
Hoo? Hoo? Diss fucking Lomacsnitschko guy? Fucking fuggetabout it, diss fucking guy, I seen him just the last TOOZday, lost to some fucking kid straight out of a cage in Texas. And now you telling me and Looey that diss fucking guy's gonna just walk in deh, and become champeen, over DA CHAMP, Ray Manseeny? Youse is outta you fucking headz. See this, fucking hear this ya fuck, he gets his heads beat in every day of the week and twice on Sundays, stuggidiscmatzah ya fucking bum. Ray had this fucking Chineez guy, the guys name I forgets, the Duck guy, looked like a Duck, yeah, he fucking quacked like one too when Ray was thru fuckin beatin his ass, beat his ass all the way back to Puerto Korea or whaddeva, the fuckin bum. Youz is looking at two of the fuggin hahdest meanist mothers of all times, of ALL TIMES, yunnastand?
Okay, Okay, dis is mee, dis is mee, with the udda champ, the fuckin guy whose name youze all gonna remember, HEY ROCKO! HEY ROCKO!
Wen I'm tru beatin this fucking Russian Louie, or whaddeva, I'm gonna call my PIEZAN Tony Danza, you know why? Coz here's why........Numbah 1, he's gonna need a fuckin Taxi, see. And numbah 2, youse all gonna need to know WHO IS THE BOSS, see, just like that. Now, put a fucking maks on, I don't want nun of that Chinese flu off nun of ya. Off fucking nun of ya. Tyed of this shit, of all of youze.
I think it's his brother, they sure look alike. PS for me Mancini would just edge out Lomachenko. But if Loma did ever beat him, he'd deserve huge credit
I don't think it's particularly fair to paint Loma's style in broad strokes like that. He may not have fought a whole fight on the back-foot like Willie Pep, but he hasn't fought a hard-hitting, 5'4 swarmer either. Not in the pros anyway, I don't think it's too much of a guess to say that Lomachenko has had to adopt an out-boxer/mover style at some point in his career - and from the flashes we've seen in the pros, he's really good at it IMO. While I normally agree with you and your points about people misrepresenting Loma as a Canto-esque out-boxer, but I think he has only really converted into that sort of a fighter at 130+. At feather where he wasn't at a height/reach disadvantage, he seemed to resort to out-boxing far more than I've seen him at other weights. I think this would transition over into a fight w Mancini, who has the same reach (slightly shorter iirc) and is definitely shorter. You definitely don't sound like a hater there, I think a Mancini stoppage is far from out of the question. His body attack is definitely going to be troublesome and Loma isn't made of iron. I can see Mancini overpowering Loma and just plain beating him up TBH, he's far better than Salido (albeit, probably about the same size). I also agree with Ring Leader.
Its interesting, people think Loma is some sort of a retreating pussy. Id be surprised if anyone that small gives that sort of fight to Lopez etc anytime soon. Ray was a good lightweight and and thats why i give Lomachenko the underdog status... Hes just not a lightweight.