Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jose Pedraza complete guide: Who is fighting, how to watch, and betting odds

The action spills over into the squared circle later tonight (Sat., Dec. 8, 2018) as Top Rank Boxing presents a lightweight title unification bout between current WBA champion Vasyl Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KO) and current WBO champion Jose Pedraza (25-1, 12 KO) live on ESPN from inside Hulu Theater in New York City.

In preparation for the lightweight title fight, Mania has compiled all the necessary information for your viewing pleasure. Take a look below for details on tonight’s main event competitors, ways to catch the action live on ESPN, and up-to-date betting odds.

Who Is Fighting?

Vasyl Lomachenko

Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport today, Lomachenko will look to claim another world title later tonight when he matches up against Pedraza and his WBO lightweight belt.

Lomachenko, 30, is coming off a 10th-round TKO win over Jorge Linares this past May in which he claimed the WBA and The Ring lightweight titles. The finish was Lomachenko’s eighth in a row since the start of 2015 and another instance in which “Matrix” completely dominated his opponent.

While Pedraza is a savvy veteran who understands how to win long distance fights, Lomachenko is expected to walk through the Puerto Rican champion will relative ease. Anything less could be considered a letdown for “Matrix.”

Jose Pedraza

Pedraza, 29, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Ray Beltran back in August in which he claimed the WBO lightweight title. It was Pedraza’s third-straight win since losing his IBF super featherweight title to Gervonta Davis via TKO back in 2017.

As the bigger lightweight, Pedraza will command nearly a six-inch reach advantage later this evening against Lomachenko. Pedraza will have to lean on that size to get past the precision and speed of “Matrix” so it will be interesting to see which lightweight takes control of the action in the early going.

In addition to the lightweight main event, the following collection of main card bouts are scheduled to take place:

Junior Featherweight (12 rounds): Isaac Dogboe vs. Emanuel Navarrete

Lightweight (10 rounds): Teofimo Lopez vs. Mason Menard

How To Watch

When:

• ESPN main card begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
• Lomachenko vs. Pedraza main event fight is set to begin around 10:30 p.m. ET

Where:

• U.S. - ESPN and ESPN Deportes
• U.K. - BoxNation
• Canada - TSN4
• Live Stream - WatchESPN

Betting Odds

(according to our friends over at Bovada - as of 12/8/18)

• Lomachenko (-5000) vs. Pedraza (+1400)
• Dogboe (-800) vs. Navarrete (+500)
• Lopez (-5000) vs. Menard (+1400)

Check out Lomachenko vs. Pedraza live play-by-play coverage and results HERE courtesy of Bad Left Hook.