The Matrix Ressurection: Vasiliy Lomachenko defeats George Kambosos Jr. receiving the IBF lightweight belt

George Kambosos Jr. he thought he would be staring down Vasiliy Lomachenko for a week. Too bad his eyes didn't shoot laser beams, because that was the only way the average Australian was going to defeat the former lightweight world champion.

Lomachenko was considering retirement, but his 11th-round stoppage over Kambosos for the IBF lightweight title before a record 14,147 crowd at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, may have him thinking otherwise.

Lomachenko (18-3, 12 knockouts) was nothing short of brilliant, ending the performance at 2:49 of 11 after knocking down Kambosos (21-3, 10 KOs) twice.

Ring's No. 1 lightweight, Lomachenko regained the IBF belt after losing to Teofimo Lopez Jr. in 2020.

At 36 years old, there were doubts that the potential of the future Hall of Famer was eroding. It didn't look like that compared to the Kamboso who came from the front.

“It looked like a hit today, not 'No-Mas-Cenko,'” Lomachenko said. “But you know, we have trained hard for now. I want to thank my opponent. He is a strong man and a true warrior.

“My plan was to get to know my enemy. I did this while we were fighting. I knew I needed to finish strong. And for the last three rounds I have been trying to find his body.”

At the time of the stoppage, Lomachenko was up 99-91 on the scorecards of judges Steve Gray and Michiaki Someya, and 98-92 on the scorecard of judge Benoit Roussel.

The loss was the third in the last four fights for Kambosos, who many thought was also defeated by Maxi Hughes in July of last year in Shawnee, Oklahoma, after twice dropping Devin Haney for the vacant lightweight title and a rematch.

Since upsetting Lopez in November 2021 for the undisputed lightweight title, Kambosos has been unable to capture the same magic. He made management and camp changes, lost the case to his former manager, Peter Kahn, and went through different coaches after parting ways with former coach Javiel Centeno.

Lomachenko was completely overwhelmed by Kambosos in the opening round. It was a forerunner of things to come. He danced around the limited Kambosos, walking in straight lines, and chose the Australian. Near the end of the second round, Lomachenko nailed Kambosos with a straight left to the face, followed by a left combination that sent Kambosos stumbling back to the ropes.

Every time Kambosos tried to come forward with a right, Lomachenko wasn't there to be hit, regardless of distance. With 1:05 left in the third, referee Katsuhiko Nakamura, who tried to be replaced by Team Kambosos, warned Kambosos about the boundary in the waist.

The fighters closed the third with a quick exchange, which saw Kambosos yell at his Ukrainian opponent and he had to be retaliated in his corner by Nakamura.

With 1:48 left in the fourth, Kambosos blasted Lomachenko with a right, but The Matrix was backed up by Kambosos. With 1:13 left in the round, Loma hit Kambosos with a left hand to the body, landing a left to the head with 1:07 left in the ring.

Vasiliy Lomachenko celebrates after stopping George Kambosos Jr. 11-year-old to win the vacant IBF lightweight title (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Kambosos didn't know what to do when he faced Lomachenko, who kept going to the left of Kambosos, forcing the Australian player to extend his hand. With :17 left in the fifth, Lomachenko sent the remaining Kambosos to the canvas with a left, which was rightly ruled a slip.

After five rounds, Lomachenko had a 73-16 advantage. He was completely defeating the pedestrian Kambosos, who has won his last four fights and proved to be a miracle.

With 1:34 left in the seventh, Kambosos landed a right to the body. About 30 seconds later, Loma cornered Kambosos. With 46 seconds left in the round, Lomachenko nailed Kambosos with a left to the body. He was systematically breaking the Australian.

Kamboso, his right eye swollen shut, returned to his corner with his head down.

In the opening minute of the eighth round, Lomachenko returned to the field and attacked Kambosos on the left. Kamboso had no place to park it. Loma was smashing Kambosos' face. He needed to have his right eyelid removed.