What to Know
- Three-division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko of Ukraine has announced his return to boxing after officially retiring in June 2025.
- Lomachenko will need to decide which division he wants to compete in, lightweight or super lightweight
- The obvious names include Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis, but our favorite is another title holder
Now that three-division champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko is ending his retirement, who should he fight?
The 38-year-old Ukrainian announced this week that he plans to return after taking a year off due to a lingering back injury and a lack of motivating matchups. His last fight was an 11th-round knockout of George Kambosos of Australia in May 2024.
Lomachenko’s longtime manager, Egis Klimas, said in an interview with ESPN that they are working on a fall comeback. “When Lomachenko does return, he will be a free agent as his contract with Top Rank expired on May 12 and will target the biggest and best fighters in the world.”
An intriguing discussion now begins about Lomachenko’s possible opponents. Let’s explore those options.
Should Lomachenko Fight at 135 or 140?
When Klimas says they want the “biggest and best fighters,” does this mean the ones with championship belts? The ones highest ranked by sanctioning organizations? The ones who will help him earn some big paydays?
Someone who pursues two Olympic medals is more about achievements than paychecks. Let’s also recall that Lomachenko put his career on hold for all of 2022 to serve in a territorial defense battalion when Russia invaded Ukraine, along with his fellow countrymen Oleksandr Usyk and Oleksandr Gvodyk, who also served in the effort.
The first decision Lomachenko needs to make is whether he intends to fight at lightweight (135 pounds), or super lightweight (140 pounds). Lomachenko has never been a big lightweight. His last ten fights took place at 135 pounds. He has five fights prior to that at 130 pounds, and began his pro career with six fights at featherweight. His “No Mas Chenko” run of forcing opponents to retire were at super featherweight.
If Lomachenko can make the lightweight limit without struggling, lightweight is where he belongs. Let’s start there with our top choices.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis
Lomachenko was reportedly discussing a matchup with former lightweight world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) before he decided to retire. Davis has not been in the ring for 15 months since his March 2025 draw with Lamont Roach Jr., a fight Davis would have lost but for poor decisions by the referee and judges.
The WBA stripped Davis of his title earlier this year due to his legal issues, but then “reinstated him” as champion in recess.
Davis’ status is unknown. His social media accounts are dark, and his legal issues are hanging over him. Davis was arrested in January on charges including battery and attempted murder. He has made comments about retiring for good.
If the matchup is feasible, it checks multiple boxes. Davis is a major fan draw, and the fight would be a moneymaker. He looked awful against Roach Jr., and now there is over a year of ring rust on top of it.
Davis mows down his opponents with power punching. Lomachenko’s incomparable footspeed and balance allow him to evade an opponent’s power, while he attacks from southpaw angles. The narrative gives fans a hero-versus-villain narrative, which boxing loves. But will Davis be motivated enough to train for this fight? If not, he might show up going through the motions for a paycheck?
Shakur Stevenson
Shakur Stevenson would see his defensive skills put to the test against Lomachenko in a matchup between two of the most skilled boxers in the sport, a three-division champion going up against a four-division champion.
Although Stevenson’s last fight was at junior lightweight against Teofimo Lopez, he has talked about returning to lightweight. Lomachenko wouldn’t be facing a much bigger man in Stevenson.
Assuming Stevenson’s fragile hands are healed, and Lomachenko’s back issues are behind him, seeing these two skilled veterans in the ring for a high-level chess match would be sensational, if not a thrill-a-minute fight.
Raymond Muratalla
This is the most practical, makeable matchup, especially if Lomachenko resigns a short-term deal with Top Rank. It’s also the one we like the most for many reasons.
IBF World Lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla is undefeated at 24 wins and 17 knockouts, coming off a victory in January over Andy Cruz. Lomachenko has always been a draw in Southern California and Las Vegas, and Muratalla brings the Latino fans.
If Lomachenko would prefer a tune-up fight before taking on Stevenson, Muratalla gives him the chance to test himself and put a championship title in play with a realistic chance to beat him.
Revenge For Lomachenko’s Losses?
Lomachenko’s significant losses came against Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. It’s tempting to imagine a rematch between Lomachenko and either of those foes, but it’s unlikely. Both have moved up in weight, with Haney competing at welterweight and Lopez making noises about doing the same.
When Lomachenko struggled, it was always because he was trying to fight bigger men. The storyline and the money may be tempting, but it would be a disaster for Lomachenko to face either man, even at 140 pounds.
Four Division Champion Territory
If becoming a four-division champion is appealing to Lomachenko, he could consider facing Stevenson for his WBO title at super lightweight. Beyond Stevenson, there are a few candidates here.
Dalton Smith
The British fighter is the current WBC champion. His best wins are against Jose Zepeda and Subriel Matias. A fight with Smith would be a big draw in England, perhaps at the Co-op Arena, where Daniel Dubios and Fabio Wardley just set an attendance record. No disrespect to Smith, but he is considered the cherry-pick among the champions at 140 pounds.
The IBF super lightweight title is now vacant after Richardson Hitchins announced his move up to the welterweight division. Lindolfo Delgado is the highest-ranked challenger. The man who deserves the opportunity is Oscar Duarte against Delgado, but there are some intriguing opportunities here.
Gary Antuanne Russell
The current WBA World Super Lightweight champion is Gary Antuanne Russell. Lomachenko won his first championship in his third fight in 2014 against Gary Russell Jr., the older brother and trainer of Gary Antuanne Russell. It’s a storyline boxing heads would love. But the younger Russell is a serious power-punching talent. He’s not the right man for a return fight.
The Rest of the Contenders
Looking again at the lightweight division, the two remaining champions are Abdullah Mason (WBO) and O’Shaquie Foster (WBC), who both have fights scheduled in the next few months. They’re both a little too young and dangerous for the 38-year-old Lomachenko.
Andy Cruz is coming off the loss to Raymond Muratalla. A battle of two Olympic gold medalists and amateur standouts with superb skills who won their medals more than a decade apart presents a potential matchup, though without a belt on the line. Cruz only has seven pro fights at age 30.
It’s ridiculous to even see Naoya Inoue’s name being floated as a possibility, but at least Inoue wouldn’t be a weight bully. The undisputed junior featherweight champion would need to move up two weight divisions to take on Lomachenko. It worked for Terence Crawford, though.
Lomachenko should not go anywhere NEAR Abdullah Mason.
Mixed Feelings About Lomachenko’s Return
Whoever ends up in the ring with Vasiliy Lomachenko later this year, it will be something no one had on their boxing bingo card on January 1. There will be plenty of opponents who would love the opportunity.
But do the fans love it? Already, there is an undercurrent of discussion about whether this was really necessary. Lomachenko is a lock for the Boxing Hall of Fame. His accomplishments leave him with nothing to prove and no significant unfinished business, unless you count a fight with Tank Davis.
How much have Lomachenko’s sublime skills deteriorated? For a fighter who relies on his footwork, balance, and speed, Lomachenko and his team will need to assess how his 38-year-old reflexes perform as he returns to training.
The riskiest matchup for any fighter returning to the ring after impressive performances is the matchup between his current self and his prime self: the “No Mas Chenko” version against the 38-year-old version with ring rust.
Lomachenko may watch his closest friend and countryman, Oleksandr Usyk, flourish well into his 30s with joy and dedication in the ring while earning impressive purses, and believe he can do the same.
Here’s hoping whatever matchup Lomachenko agrees to, he will be honest with himself, and that his trainers, including his father, will also be honest with him about what he has left. Sending a faded former champion into the ring in a futile attempt to return to his glory days only to take a whipping serves no one.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.