Vasiliy Lomachenko was on top of the world, the best pound-for-pound fighter looking to unify all lightweight world titles. His trajectory to superstardom was clear -- the storyline was written -- but the loss to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020 changed all that.
Now, eight months later -- and after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder -- Lomachenko returns to the ring to face Masayoshi Nakatani at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Saturday (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs), 33, of Ukraine, is still considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers, but this weekend's fight seems like a restart to his career. A win against Nakatani could put him on a path to recover his belts, but can he beat a much taller fighter with a six-inch reach advantage?
Nakatani (19-1, 13 KOs), 32, of Japan, gave Lopez a run for his money two years ago, ultimately losing a unanimous decision. His height, long reach and awkward movements made Lopez -- who was on a five-fight KO streak -- look bad. Can he do the same against Lomachenko and this time get the victory?
We asked former opponents and boxing trainers for their insight and predictions.
Editor's note: Content has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Gary Russell Jr., WBC featherweight champion; lost to Lomachenko by decision in 2014
How Lomachenko wins: I think Lomachenko is on a mission to defend his honor after the loss to Teofimo Lopez. Styles make fights, but I'm not sure how Lomachenko will deal with a much taller Nakatani.
How Nakatani wins: I think that if he stays with his game plan, uses his height and reach and keeps Lomachenko at the end of his punches, and catches him when he's jumping in, he can probably get Lomachenko with something big.
Prediction: I think the fight is definitely gonna go the distance. I don't see a KO in this fight. But Lomachenko should win. Heck, I'm not a fan of Lomachenko and don't really care about who wins, but I want the rematch with Lomachenko, so I hope he wins.
Miguel Marriaga, former title challenger; lost to Lomachenko by seventh-round TKO in 2017
Timothy Bradley does not think Teofimo Lopez is ready for a title fight after he "got exposed" vs. Masayoshi Nakatani.
How Lomachenko wins: Lomachenko is a very experienced fighter who knows how to work the ring well and has that ring generalship where he controls all the spaces. His diagonal steps and his leg movements are perfect. Despite the loss to Lopez, Lomachenko has been putting up good fights. He has a very good left hook to the body, like the one he used to KO Jorge Linares, and he also has a great right and left cross. I think Lomachenko could connect those punches against Nakatani to break him down little by little and win the fight. I don't think Nakatani has the defense to avoid Lomachenko's punches.
How Nakatani wins: To beat Lomachenko, he must have a lot of stamina, good leg movement throughout all 12 rounds, because we know that Lomachenko is a fighter who wears out his opponents from the beginning and gets them tired at the end. Nakatani has good power, so his only chance would be to score a KO and win that way. I don't think he can win a decision because his defense is not that good and he is not going to be able to beat Lomachenko by being a defensive fighter. Nakatani is tenacious and he comes to fight, so a KO is a possibility.
X-factor: Lomachenko has been out for a while and had surgery. Nakatani has been putting up good fights. He gave Lopez trouble and then knocked out Felix Verdejo in a fight that he was losing on the scorecards. If Lomachenko is 100% healthy, he is going to win and look for a rematch with Lopez, so he has an extra incentive not to just win, but look good enough that the boxing world would ask for a rematch with Teo.
Prediction: Lomachenko by unanimous decision. Maybe Lomachenko can get a KO in Round 10 or Round 11, but the fight will most likely go the distance.
Andre Rozier, boxing trainer for super middleweight Edgar Berlanga and more
How Lomachenko wins: He really has to be the Lomachenko of before, his best version. He can't wait and he certainly can't be at the end of Nakatani's punches. He's gonna have to get inside, use his speed, his quick feet and fire his combinations and not be hesitant.
How Nakatani wins: He has to throw punches. He's tenacious and has a habit of overextending his punches and that can get him in major trouble. So he has to tighten it up a little bit and be a little faster on his feet. If he drags his feet or is slow to move, he's going to be in major trouble. Lomachenko may not be the biggest puncher, but he can hurt you if you're there for him to hit you.
X-factor: What Lomachenko will we see on Saturday? If we see the Lomachenko that controls the narrative and the distance, he will win. If not, I'm not saying he's going to lose, but it could be difficult for him. Lomachenko can have a stellar performance and win big, or a really bad one and get in trouble. A hard night. But even with a bad night, I can see him being victorious.
Prediction: I think it's going to be a 12-round decision victory for Lomachenko. Nakatani is a tough kid and he's coming to fight, but Lomachenko should be able to pull it off.
Miguel Berchelt, former junior lightweight champion
How Lomachenko wins: Lomachenko is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and he just needs to fight his style of fight. Use his boxing skills, throwing punches and moving side to side. Nakatani is going to go looking to fight from a distance because he is very tall for the division and has a very long reach. We saw against Lopez how tall Nakatani was, almost a head taller. So I think he is going to use his straight punches and that is going to be beneficial for Lomachenko to make his lateral movements and throw his combinations inside Nakatani's guard. And to get inside that guard, Lomachenko must use his jab and throw a feint or two and then hit the body.
How Nakatani wins: We saw Nakatani give Lopez trouble -- he made him look bad. Teofimo went into that fight demolishing opponents, and Nakatani, because of his height and his awkward style, made him look bad. But it is almost impossible to beat Lomachenko. Nakatani's only chance is to catch Lomachenko coming in. Lomachenko is going to have to get closer to connecting his punches even if he is not fully recovered from surgery, he is still probably one of the best -- even when he's not at full strength. But you have to keep an eye on his right arm.
Prediction: Undoubtedly Lomachenko by KO in the eighth or ninth round. Nakatani is a very brave fighter, he doesn't give up, but Lomachenko is on another level.
Aureliano Sosa, trainer to Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, Peter Quillin, Chris Colbert, Nikita Ababiy
How Lomachenko wins: I think he learned his lesson from the loss to Lopez. I think Lomachenko is going to be more aggressive now from the start. He's usually a slow starter, but sometimes when you start a little too slow and try to catch up, like Lomachenko had to do against Lopez, sometimes you can't. He learned that and he will be more aggressive, be faster, and land his punches early. Nakatani is tall but he's slow, and that's going to allow Lomachenko to see every punch that Nakatani is throwing.
How Nakatani wins: He's gonna have to start fast. Take advantage of those doubts that Lomachenko might have at the start. If Nakatani can start fast and land some punches and get Lomachenko off his game, it could be a tough mental challenge for Loma. Lomachenko's gonna start thinking, "wow, I couldn't get it done against Lopez and now this guy is preventing me from winning too," so he's going to have those doubts and Nakatani should take advantage of that early.
X-factor: Nakatani has to make it a dirty fight. Fight dirty, get inside and throw a lot of punches and frustrate Lomachenko because if he doesn't do that, Lomachenko is going to pick him apart.
Prediction: Lomachenko wins by unanimous decision, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lomachenko ends the fight early, maybe in the ninth round. He's that good.