Vasyl Lomachenko, of Ukraine, celebrates after defeating Nicholas Walters, of Jamaica, in a WBO junior lightweight title boxing match Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Las Vegas. AP
NEW YORK — Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux, who both own two Olympic gold medals, will meet Dec. 9 in the latest in a series of Saturday night fights on ESPN.
Lomachenko will defend his 130-pound title against Rigondeaux, a defensive specialist who will be moving up in weight from 122 pounds to challenge for the belt. Promoter Top Rank said Friday that the fight will be held in the theater at Madison Square Garden.
Lomachenko won gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics fighting for Ukraine, while Rigondeaux won his golds in 2000 and 2004 for Cuba. Both are widely regarded as two of the best amateur fighters in history.
Rigondeaux is 17-0 with 11 knockouts as a pro, while Lomachenko is 9-1 with seven knockouts.