Vasiliy Lomachenko hasn’t worn a world title belt since he was upset by Teofimo Lopez in October 2020, which is hard to believe given his pounding ability and plethora of championship jewelry.
He will have a chance to regain the title again on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where he will face George Kambosos Jr. to compete for the vacant IBF 135-pound title.
Lomachenko, 36, said he is not far from finishing his martial arts career but he still has a lot to offer. Oddsmakers have him at around 5½-1 to beat Kambosos on his home turf.
“I’m just looking forward to the IBF title,” said the two-time Olympic champion. “I need to get my title. And then I can think about my future.”
Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) thinks he deserves a decision in the Lopez fight, which he started slowly – perhaps because he was fighting with a nagging shoulder injury – but was focused again in the later rounds to make it a close match.
However, it was too late for all three judges, who awarded Lopez the championship belt and the Ukrainian’s championship belt.
Many believe Lomachenko did enough to defeat then-undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney last May, when he delivered a classic performance.
However, once again, Lomachenko came up on the wrong end of a close but unanimous decision, which allowed Haney to retain the title and upset the loser once again.
Saturday’s fight is different from the two above, at least on paper.
Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) pulled off a major upset by eliminating Lopez to become champion in 2021. However, Lopez has been battling a life-threatening condition, in which no Qi surrounded his heart, which probably affected his performance.
And Kambosos has struggled since then, losing back-to-back matches to Haney and then making a decision over journeyman Maxi Hughes.
Some believe that Kambosos, a fiery, tough but limited boxer, is a one-hit wonder who would take on a master technician like Lomachenko.
Of course, Lomachenko has been around too long to take anything or anyone for granted. He repeatedly called the match “exciting,” which was clearly his way of repaying Kambosos.
“I’ve been in this sport a long time,” he said. “We are two experts. We know boxing. It will be very, very exciting for both of you. It will be very, very exciting for all boxing fans.”
Lomachenko topped several credible pound-for-pound lists before his loss to Lopez. That distinction will probably remain in his past as a new generation of stars moves up the roster.
That said, Lomachenko (ranked 13th by Boxing Junkie) could still make a significant move if certain conditions are met.
Promoter Bob Arum, who handles both Lomachenko and the supremely skilled Shakur Stevenson, said he would like to pair the two together if Lomachenko defeats Kambosos and Stevenson overcomes Artem Harutyunyan on July 6.
Then Lomachenko will have a chance to return to where he and many others believe he belongs, among the few best fighters on the planet.
