Vasily Lomachenko has been out of the ring since an extremely close fight with undisputed lightweight champion, Devin Haney.
‘Loma’s loss on the scorecards that night didn’t sit well with many fans and pundits, and he himself remains adamant that he won. Regardless, Haney moves ahead and the standout amateur and three-weight world champion took a hiatus from the sport.
He turned down a fight with Shakur Stevenson that would ultimately be for the vacant WBC belt, and fans began to wonder if Lomachenko had quietly retired.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Egis Klimas – who represents Lomachenko as well as unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk – said his man will be back in 2024.
“We should expect him to be back some time next year. After that not a loss – but a “loss” – he just said he’s not gonna do anything until the end of the year. He’s taking it easy, doing whatever he does at home, and next year we’re gonna come and start looking into the fights.”
At 35-years-old with a long amateur career and a demanding pro campaign behind him, the Ukrainian only wants to fight for world titles moving forward.
“We’re not gonna fight just any fight, he wants to fight for a world title. 135, yes.”
In lightweight, that would currently either be newly-crowned WBC Champion, Stevenson, or the man who still holds the WBO, WBA and IBF belts, Devin Haney. Haney is set to embark on a super-lightweight stint, so more of his belts could became vacant soon.
As for fan-friendly match-ups, Lomachenko could look at Stevenson, a rematch with Haney, or a test against Gervonta Davis. The strongest rumours for his return have been with former unified champion, George Kambosos Jr.