Although he picked up the win last night (Sat. May 12, 2018) and captured the WBA (super) lightweight title from Jorge Linares last night, Vasyl Lomachenko suffered the first knockdown of his professional boxing career.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was knocked down last night in Madison Square Garden before going on to hit a ferocious liver shot in the 10th round to secure the victory.

In the sixth round Linares hit a straight right that dropped the Ukrainian. For the remainder of the round Lomachenko seemed visibly shaken by the knockdown and attempted to stay away from his adversary.

Of course, he rallied in the following rounds and was able to pick up the big finish. With is victory, Lomachenko captured his third division title in the sport. 

He also made a bit of history with the win, becoming the fastest fighter to win three titles in different divisions - beating the previous record of 20 by eight fights. 

In an interview after the fight, Lomachenko revealed that he became too relaxed in the sixth round, which led to him being knocked down for the first time in his career (quotes via Boxing Scene):

“I relaxed a little bit,” Lomachenko said.

“He used his speed and he was throwing a lot of counter-punches, but I thought I already did what I needed to do. I was wrong and he caught me. It was a great shot. It happens.”

Lomachenko has improved his impressive record to 11-1 and plans to go after more belts in his career. It's unclear if he intends to challenge for more titles at 135 pounds, or if he will return to 130.

The Ukrainian showed great sportsmanship after the fight, having nothing but good things to say about Linares for providing such a tough contest:

“Linares is a great champion and the fight was good for the fans and everybody. It was a great fight,” Lomachenko said.

What are your thoughts on Linares becoming the first man to knock down Lomachenko in his professional boxing career? Do you think that Linares could defeat the Ukrainian if given a second crack at the opportunity? And who would you like to see Lomachenko take on next? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!

Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: http://gms.to/writeforgms