Three-division titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko wants to make sure his return to the ring next year will involve some significant hardware.
The Ukrainian southpaw came up short in his bid to become the undisputed 135-pound champion earlier this summer when he challenged then champion Devin Haney at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Haney won a close unanimous decision that some felt could have been awarded to Lomachenko.
It was Lomachenko’s second fight since he returned from helping his country’s war effort against Russia.
According to Egis Klimas, the longtime manager for Lomachenko, his client will not be looking to fight a tune-up level opponent for his return.
“We should expect him to be back sometime next year,” Klimas told FightHubTV. “After that—not a loss—but a ‘loss,’ as we say, 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 then next year is gonna come and we’re gonna start looking into the fights.”
“We’re not going to fight just to fight,” Klimas continued. “He wants to fight for the title so we’ll see what we can get.”
Asked to clarify if the title shot would be at lightweight, Klimas said, “Yes, 135.”
A possible fight for Lomachenko is one against newly crowned WBC lightweight titlist Shakur Stevenson, who defeated Edwin De Los Santos last Saturday night in Las Vegas to earn the belt left vacant by Haney. (Haney is set to make his 140-pound debut on Dec. 9, in a title fight against champion Regis Prograis.) Both Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) and Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) are backed by the same promoter in Top Rank.
Stevenson himself has called for a fight with Lomachenko in the past, especially in light of their promotional affiliation.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.