Vasyl Lomachenko, the three-division world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, ended his retirement in 2026 and is preparing to return to the ring later in the year — a comeback publicly backed by fellow Ukrainian great Oleksandr Usyk. Lomachenko earned the nickname 'The Matrix' because opponents seem unable to hit him while he hits them at will. The secret is not speed or reflexes alone. It is a deliberate footwork system built on angles. Here is how it works.
The core idea: get off the centre line
Most fighters trade on a straight line, directly in front of each other. Lomachenko's entire game is about refusing to be there. He steps to the outside of his opponent's lead foot, which puts him at an angle where he can punch and his opponent cannot easily punch back or even see clearly. Win the foot position and you win the exchange before a punch is thrown.
The pivot
His signature move is the pivot: he throws, then rotates around his opponent on his lead foot, ending up on their flank. Suddenly the opponent has to turn to find him — and turning while being hit is how fighters get stopped. He does this again and again, spiralling around them.
Level changes and feints set it up
Lomachenko does not just walk to the angle; he disguises the movement. A dip of the head, a feinted jab, a change of level — all of it makes the opponent react, and in that half-second of reaction he takes the step that puts him on the angle. Movement plus deception is far more effective than movement alone.
How to start training angles
- Jab-and-pivot drill. Throw a jab, then pivot 45 degrees on the lead foot. Reset and repeat both directions. This is the single most valuable footwork drill you can own.
- Step outside the lead foot. On the bag or with a partner, practise stepping your lead foot to the outside of theirs before you punch.
- Feint, then move. Add a small feint before every angle step so the movement is hidden.
You will not master this in a week — Lomachenko's base was built over hundreds of amateur bouts and a childhood of dance and gymnastics for coordination. But the principles are learnable at any level, and even a little angle work makes you dramatically harder to hit.
Angles and footwork are drilled in every one of our boxing classes in Kyiv. Check the schedule and start moving like the Matrix.
