Ryan Garcia makes notable omission while ranking lightweight rivals

Garcia has ranked Ukrainian star Vasyl Lomachenko as the leading star in the division with George Kambosos second, Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney third but has left out Teofimo Lopez after his defeat

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Lou DiBella reacts to George Kambosos beating Teofimo Lopez

Ryan Garcia has ranked Vasyl Lomachenko as the leading fighter in the lightweight division but has omitted Teofimo Lopez after his shock defeat.

The American star has yet to feature in the ring since his victory over British star Luke Campbell in January last year.

However the lightweight division is jam-packed with talent and Garcia will be hoping to challenge the likes of Devin Haney or Gervonta Davis next year.

Garcia however has placed the Ukrainian star at the top of the 135lb tree and has admitted he was shocked by Lopez’s display against George Kambosos but is extremely fond of the new champion.

“Loma No. 1,” Garcia told World Boxing News. “Close between Devin and Tank. Then you got George, who fought well. Loma No. 1. Then I would say Kambosos No. 2 and Devin and Tank a toss-up in third. They both had pretty mediocre performances.

“Lomachecnko just fights so pure with his movement and he doesn’t waste any energy. He flows and he has the footwork, his body positioning. He fought amazing, but he should have knocked (Commey) out. I think that’s a huge fight, me versus Lomachenko. But I would love to fight Lomachenko as well.

“That was a great fight, man. I was almost certain Lopez was gonna win, even after he got dropped (in the first round), I thought he was gonna win.

“I didn’t have any sense that he was gonna lose, but once the fight started happening he just kept on letting himself get hit with these shots, good sharp shots. But it felt awkward to me to see him get hit so much, so constantly – left hook, jab, little right hands. It was just crazy.

“Stars aligned for Kambosos. I don’t know if Kambosos is going to go after another top fighter but if he does I personally don’t think he’s going to hold onto the belts. Maybe he will.

How do you rank the lightweight stars and who is your No.1 in the division? Let us know in the comments section below.

“He’s a really cool guy. I’ve never met him but we’ve talked over social media and I sent him a video to tell him good luck before his fight with Teofimo. Super good dude.”

The lightweight division has been active of late with Lopez losing his ‘undisputed’ belts to Kambosos who is now expected to meet Haney who recently defeated JoJo Diaz.

Meanwhile ‘Tank’ Davis secured unanimous decision victory over Isaac Cruz who is expected to be named Garcia’s next opponent after a brave showing last December.

Lopez is expected to avoid any further tilts at lightweight and will look to move up to super-lightweight in a bid to challenge undisputed champion Josh Taylor.

Lomachenko recently dispatched of Comney with a comfortable decision victory and is expected to try and throw himself back into the title mix next year with a move at Kambosos.