While lauded and revered for his overall boxing skills, a shroud of mystery covered Vasiliy Lomachenko. Having proved that he’s still amongst the lightweight division’s elite following consecutive victories, the 34-year-old stepped away from the sport he loves in lieu of the ongoing Russian invasion in his native land of Ukraine.
Roughly one year later, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist would eventually make his return late last month in Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. Greeting him on the night, was highly ranked contender, Jamaine Ortiz.
Though respected, the 26-year-old was widely expected to be simply overmatched. However, with the Puerto Rican product proving to be more than your typical run-of-the-mill return fight, he fought the supremely gifted Ukrainian on mostly even terms. Even with the former champion eking a fairly close unanimous decision win, Lomachenko (17-1, 11 KOs) tipped his cap to his longtime sparring partner.
“Jamaine is a top fighter,” said Lomachenko. “He’s a good fighter, he understands boxing.”
With the 17th professional victory of his career, Lomachenko finds himself perfectly positioned to embark on a familiar road. Mere moments before both Ortiz and Lomachenko entered the ring against one another, Devin Haney, the lightweight division’s undisputed champion, nuzzled comfortably into his ringside seat to take in the sights.
Bob Arum, both Haney and Lomachenko’s current promoter, has recently revealed that a showdown between them will undoubtedly take place next. During those hardened times against Ortiz, Lomachenko simply glanced over his shoulder and in the direction of Haney to find much-needed motivation.
Well before turning pro, the pound-for-pound star has dreamt of aggregating every world title in a given weight class. His ambitions, ultimately, now stand before him. As Lomachenko gazed upon a cheering crowd, he immediately thanked them for their support. Nevertheless, with a chance at undisputed glory well within his grasp, he admits that he’s motivated like never before.
“I’m happy, I'm happy to come back in the ring. You know what motivated me, four belts, four belts.”