Via Jim Calfa: Vasily Lomachenko arrived in Los Angeles today to begin training for the October catch-up.
Former triple world champion talent Lomachenko (16-2 11 KOs) has been out of the ring since December as he defends Ukraine as part of the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defense Battalion.
Lomachenko, 34, will be ready for a quick warm-up in October with a still-to-be named opponent before facing undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney for his four belts. that.
Haney has spoken out about not wanting to wait for Lomachenko around while he waged a tune-up fight, as he feels he doesn’t need to have a warm-up before a fight.
With Haney scheduled to face former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr on October 15, he won’t be available to face Lomachenko in October anyway.
It is unclear whether Lomachenko lost weight while defending his country during the war. If he loses muscle mass, as unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk did while serving his country, it makes sense for Lomachenko to hit an equalizer first.
“I pray every day for Ukraine, for the people…. and stop the war,” said Lomachenko. “When I returned to Ukraine, I believed it was the second day of the war. Your mind changes because you see another life. It’s another life. No one knows what happened on this day.
“It’s bad. It’s bad for the world,“Lomachenko continued. “I was prepared for this moment, and I needed this opportunity. I need this fight [for the] no need to argue. Undisputed world champion. “
Lomachenko was on the verge of a 12-round unanimous decision win over IBF 135-lb champion Richard Commey last December at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It was a fight that Loma could end soon if he wanted to, since he injured Commey, but he chose not to put his foot on the gas to get him out of there.
If Lomachenko can beat Haney in December or early 2023, he will be the undisputed new champion at lightweight and will be in the enviable position of defending the title against top guys like Gervonta. Davis.
Too bad Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez have both grown to 140, as those two will be excellent opponents for Lomachenko to play next year.
