Lomachenko Coming Out Of Retirement

Three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko is reportedly returning to boxing.

The Ukrainian, who retired in June 2025 at the age of 37, is reportedly coming back with a clear condition attached — he is interested only in the fights that justify it.

Lomachenko retired as IBF lightweight champion, having stopped George Kambosos in May 2024 to claim the belt in what turned out to be his final performance before stepping away. His career across three weight classes produced WBO titles at featherweight and super-featherweight, a run as unified lightweight champion, and a reputation as one of the most technically gifted fighters the sport has produced in a generation.

Loma’s Career

The lightweight chapter was not without its complications. A loss to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020 handed him the first defeat of his professional career and stripped him of the unified titles he had accumulated. A second loss, to Devin Haney in May 2023, was widely disputed but went against him on the scorecards regardless.

The most significant fight that never happened was against Gervonta Davis. The matchup had been discussed for years and represented arguably the most commercially compelling lightweight contest available during that period. A chronic back injury is reported to have derailed negotiations at a critical point.

Options

Shakur Stevenson has long called for the Loma fight. Lomachenko against Stevenson would be a chess match of the highest order, two fighters who win by controlling space and exploiting fractions rather than by overwhelming opponents physically.

If Lomachenko wants a fight that tests him physically rather than technically, William Zepeda is the most logical option from that direction. The Mexican heavyweight ranks among the most exciting lightweights active right now — relentless pressure, high volume, aggressive body work and a style that tends to drag opponents into uncomfortable territory regardless of their technical superiority.

Lomachenko is 18-3. He is 37 years old. He has won world titles in three weight classes and beaten a generation of elite fighters. The standard he has set for what constitutes a worthy comeback fight is a high one, so the question is whether he can deliver.

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