Campbell Becomes Star Despite Result

For Eddie Hearn, Luke Campbell became a bonafide star on Saturday night inside The O2 Arena, even though he did not pull off the upset against Vasyl Lomachenko.

Being denied the chance to become the unified lightweight champion of the world, Campbell showed his skill, heart, and determination in a losing effort to the fighter many consider to be the pound-for-pound best in the sport.

“With all due respect to Luke, his brand going into this fight, this fight was about Lomachenko,” Hearn told BoxingScene.com following their fight.

“Yes, he was fighting a Brit. But let’s be honest – Lomachenko was the sell here. Now that’s changed, and Lomachenko’s still the sell. But Luke Campbell has a huge profile now. People are proud of him. You know, Brits love it when you’re getting hit to the body and you’re almost crippled over, and you just stay on your feet. And you go down and you get up and you fight back. All fans love that. And that’s what they saw from Luke Campbell. So, his stock rises considerably.”

“We’ve gotta now gear him up sort of for a shot at a belt that fragments at some point next year,” Hearn said of what’s next for the British boxer. “Devin Haney’s in a similar boat, you know? And Lomachenko’s unbeatable. He’s gonna fight the winner of [Richard] Commey against [Teofimo] Lopez. He’s gonna win that fight, and then he’s gonna be undisputed. And then I think he’ll move back down because he’s not a lightweight, you know?”

Initial Report: Boxing Scene