Vasiliy Lomachenko will fight before the of the year after leaving Ukraine following months of defending his country.
Lomachenko, the three-weight world champion and former pound-for-pound king arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. He wants to continue his career in the sport after fighting in December.
The superstar spent most of 2022 serving with the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defense Battalion in his native Ukraine. He is ready to resume his boxing career.
Lomachenko will return
Confirmed by Top Rank, “Loma” will return to the ring against a to-be-determined opponent soon.
A former featherweight, junior lightweight, and unified lightweight champion, Lomachenko regained his career momentum in 2021 with dominant victories over Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey.
He will begin training camp at his Southern California residence with an eye on his ultimate goal of ruling the lightweight division.
Haney or Kambosos
In the eight months since his points win over Commey, 23-year-old prodigy Devin “The Dream” Haney toppled George Kambosos Jr. to become the undisputed king.
Lomachenko is lined up to face the winner of a rematch between the pair.
Discussing how the last few months affected his life, Lomachenko said: “I pray daily for Ukraine, for the people. And a stop to the war.
“When I returned to Ukraine, I believe it was the second day of the war. Your mind changes because you see a different life. It’s a different life.
“Nobody knows what happened on this day. It’s very bad. It’s very bad for the world.”
Prepared for Undisputed
On looking forward to his next fight and building towards Haney or Kambosos, he added: “I’ve prepared for this moment. I need this chance.
“I need this fight. Undisputed. Undisputed world champion.”
Haney vs Kambosos Jr. II is tipped to happen in the coming months. Once back in the swing, Lomachenko should get his opportunity by the middle of 2023.
The list of potential opponents is extensive. However, Lomachenko will likely want a warm-up fight beforehand with so much on the line.
Possibly against an opponent unrated in the top five.
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