Vasiliy Lomachenko looks set to make a stunning return to boxing.
Lomachenko had a spectacular amateur career, finishing with a record of 396-1 whilst becoming a two-time Olympic gold medallist, and he then entered the professional ranks and challenged for world honours in just his second bout.
While he may have come up short in that clash, he made up for it in his third outing when he won the WBO featherweight title, before he also went on to become WBO super-featherweight champion and unified lightweight world champion.
The Ukrainian was commended for fighting above his natural weight and claiming wins over fighters such as Jorge Linares and Jose Pedraza, but he was beaten twice at 135lbs, first a loss to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020 before a controversial defeat to Devin Haney in May 2023.
Lomachenko did bounce back with a stoppage win over George Kambosos in May 2024 to become IBF lightweight champion, and it seemed that would be the final time he entered the ring as he officially announced his retirement in June 2025 after months of speculation.
That could all be about to change though, after it was reported by Mike Coppinger that he is set to end that retirement and return this year for ‘big fights only’.
“Vasiliy Lomachenko is coming out of retirement and is targeting a return in fall of this year, sources tell Ring Magazine. Lomachenko’s contract with Top Rank expires today and he’s now a promotional free agent. He only wants the big fights, I’m told, no tuneups.”
Lomachenko was understood to have been in talks with Gervonta Davis prior to his retirement but the bout was never able to materialise, with an ongoing back injury for the Ukrainian proving to be one of the factors why it couldn’t happen.
With the back injury now seemingly a thing of the past, it could pave the way for a clash with Davis once again, while there are also a number of other intriguing options – including Shakur Stevenson, who has always called for the fight – for the former pound-for-pound superstar.
