Vasiliy Lomachenko, one of the most accomplished fighters in professional and amateur boxing history, announced his retirement from the sport on Thursday at the age of 37.
A proud native of Ukraine, Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) posted a video to social media explaining his decision some 13 months after the final bout of his career when he stopped former undisputed champion George Kambosos Jr. in the 11th round to defend his IBF lightweight title.
“I am grateful for every victory and every defeat, both in ring and in life,” Lomachenko said. “I’m thankful that as my career comes to an end, I have genuine clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve a victory in overcoming their old self. Only then, can someone achieve their true award.”
“I felt that it was coming, I had that feeling,” Kambosos told CBS Sports on Thursday. “I could see it after the fight with me and Lomachenko in Perth when we did record numbers there. It was an absolute honor to fight that man, I was pinching myself throughout the fight. I have been in there with some really big names but this is Lomachenko, this is a [future] Hall of Famer and a guy that I admired as a young kid coming up the amateurs. To see him this morning and watching the video, I wish him all the best.”
A dynamic southpaw who possessed some of the best footwork and creative punching angles that boxing has seen in the modern era, Lomachenko first made his name by authoring an amateur career that saw him earn gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Lomachenko, who also won gold at the 2009 and 2011 world championships, finished his amateur run with an incredible record of 396-1. His lone defeat came against Russia’s Albert Selimov at the 2007 world championships in Chicago, which Lomachenko went on to avenge by defeating Selimov twice in the ensuing years.
Originally, Lomachenko wanted to fight for a world title in his pro debut and signed with promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank in hopes of achieving that. The best Arum could ultimately do was get Lomachenko into a title bout in his second fight, which he lost by controversial split decision to Orlando Salido despite the fact that the Mexican slugger missed weight and wasn’t penalized for repeated low blows.
Undeterred by the loss, however, Lomachenko won his first world title just three months later in 2014 when he outpointed unbeaten Gary Russell Jr. to claim the vacant WBO featherweight title. The win saw Lomachenko equal the record set by Thailand’s Saensak Muangsurin by winning a world title in the fewest amount of pro fights at just three.
“I want to thank Top Rank and Mr. Bob Arum for amazing opportunity to showcase my abilities in boxing,” Lomachenko said. “I’m grateful for the United States of America for giving me the chance to realize my potential. Of course, I would be remiss not to thank you, my dear boxing fans from around the world. You have always supported me and led me through unforgettable fights.”
As a professional, Lomachenko’s 11-year career was just as uniquely successful and ambitious as his amateur career.
Lomachenko won titles in three divisions from 126 to 135 pounds and captured a world title in his second weight class in just his seventh pro fight when he dramatically knocked out Roman “Rocky” Martinez in 2016 to win the WBO junior lightweight title. The Martinez win set up a four-fight run at 130 pounds where Lomachenko grew to superstardom when he was given the nickname “No-mas-chenko” after forcing four consecutive opponents to quit on their stool out of frustration amid his offensive onslaught.
“It’s been an honor for all of us at Top Rank to promote the pro boxing career of Vasiliy Lomachenko,” Arum said. “He was a generational champion, and we will all miss his participation in the sport.”
Unable to land big-name fights at 126 or 130 pounds, however, Lomachenko was forced to move up to a third weight division in 2018 when he captured the WBA lightweight title by stopping Jorge Linares despite the fact that he was giving up so much size. It was at lightweight where Lomachenko would go on to unify three of four titles and compete at for the final 10 bouts of his career.
With incredibly fast hands and feet, a high ring IQ, elite athleticism and a high commitment to defense despite being such an offensive fighter, Lomachenko was among the most purely skilled fighters of his era. Lomachenko also enjoyed a nearly three-year run at the peak of his lightweight prime as the recognized pound-for-pound best boxer in the world and he was always quick to give the credit to his father and trainer, Anatoly Lomachenko, who he often referred to as “Papachenko.”
“My father not only taught me the art of boxing but how to be a role model to my own children, the same way he has always been for me,” Lomachenko said. “I have made many mistakes in life and in the gym but he has always been by my side correcting me, when needed, and praising me when I earned it.”
The remaining two defeats of Lomachenko’s pro career came against undefeated, elite competition in title fights, both of which produced disputed scorecards. He dropped a close unanimous decision loss to Teofimo Lopez Jr. in their undisputed title clash in 2020 before an even closer decision defeat to Devin Haney in 2023, in a fight most observers felt Lomachenko should’ve won.
