One of the most important fights on the calendar for boxing purists takes place on Saturday as the undisputed lightweight champion Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) takes on Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Although the fight will be on ESPN+ PPV, more importantly, we are getting two of the best fighters in the division facing off against each other.
It's no secret that Lomachenko holds training camp in Southern California at his compound, which has limited access, and who the former champion works with is kept tight-lipped until fight week. One of the fighters that helped Lomachenko get ready for the undisputed champ Haney is 30-year-old lightweight contender Zachary ‘Zungry’ Ochoa (21-3, 7 KOs) from Brooklyn, NY. Ochoa last fought over a year ago, which was a decision loss to undefeated super lightweight Brandun Lee (28-0, 23 KOs). Although Ochoa didn’t come out victorious, it can be argued that some of his success against Lee was used with other Lee opponents as he has had a tough time securing victories since the Ochoa fight.
SPEED 💨💨💨@VasylLomachenko x #HaneyLoma pic.twitter.com/2ZU4Gl6c5x
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 14, 2023
Ochoa was called upon last year when Lomachenko was getting ready for Jamaine Ortiz (16-0-1) in a fight that Loma won by decision but was pushed to the limit. Ochoa wasn’t surprised that Ortiz was game that night as he had sparred with Lomachenko in the past, and that familiarity helped him see success that night. While Ochoa was staying in shape and consistently training with his coach Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards, he once again got the call to help out with training camp, but this time he got it from Lomachenko himself.
After flying out to California, Ochoa got right to it and described each day as different. Still, some things that stayed consistent were his morning runs, going to the gym in the morning and at night while sparring somewhere in between. Ochoa remained for the entire camp and said this about what he saw while at the Lomachenko compound. “They (Team Lomachenko) are real militant with their preparation. They take things very seriously, and this camp had a higher level of intensity than the last camp.” That wasn’t to say Lomachenko didn’t prepare any less for Ortiz but more so to emphasize that Lomachenko prepared at an even higher level considering what is at stake, which is the undisputed lightweight crown.
Just been focused puttin in work! Everyday count 💯 pic.twitter.com/k3arqAMUE2
— ZUNGRY (@ZacharyOchoa) May 13, 2023
Although Lomachenko can come off as an intense guy, Ochoa has been around him long enough to know what he is really like. Ochoa told ProBoxTV News, “I worked (training exercises) on and off with Loma. We had many conversations, and he is actually a funny guy when you really get to know him.” Although Ochoa worked with Lomachenko, he is a student of the game and knows what he sees and how he thinks this one will play out. “This is a great fight. Ryan (Garcia) and ‘Tank’s’ (Gervonta Davis) fight was for the people. This is the fight that boxing wants to see. Not being political when I say that I think Loma will win on Saturday night.”
Grinding through it ✊🏽 #focused pic.twitter.com/FSRzbO4QwY
— ZUNGRY (@ZacharyOchoa) April 25, 2023
Regarding Ochoa’s career, he is an independent fighter who isn’t signed to any promoter, so he is willing to work with anyone. Although he hasn’t fought in over a year, Ochoa isn’t letting that discourage him and is staying in shape so that when he does get that call for a fight, he can take it without any hesitation. Ochoa recently called out on his IG stories, now WBA super lightweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) after a horrible stoppage victory over Ismael Barroso. “Good fight, horrible stoppage; Barroso was winning! I would fight Rolly TOMORROW! @showtimeboxing” In the end, Ochoa just wants to fight.
Before getting off the call, Ochoa wanted to recognize those in his corner as he continues pursuing his dream of one day fighting for a world title. “I want to say thank you to the fans, my advisor Brian Jaffe, Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards, Everlast, and Bored Ape Yacht Club.”