Lomachenko planning to end retirement, eyes return in fall

Vasyl Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) is planning to end retirement. Three-division world champion didn’t fight since May 2024 when he stopped George Kambosos Jr and won the IBF World and IBO World lightweight titles.

His manager Egis Klimas, told ESPN on Wednesday that they are eyeing return later this year.

"We are working on his comeback this fall," Klimas said.

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.

37-year-old Lomachenko won two Olympic gold medals and had an amateur record of 396 wins and one loss. He made professional debut on October 2013, stopping Jose Luis Ramirez in round four. In his second fight he fought for WBO World featherweight title, but lost by split decision to Orlando Salido.

He won the world title in featherweight in his third professional fight, defeating Gary Allen Russell Jr by majority decision. He won then the world titles in super-feather and lightweight. Lomachenko fought for undisputed title in May 2023, losing by unanimous decision to Devin Haney.

His return will be highly anticipated due to the change in landscape in the smaller weight classes. He has not announced what weight he will return at but does have plans to compete more than once now that his back issues are seemingly behind him.