Vasiliy Lomachenko is a fighter in and out of the ring. From winning multiple titles to defending his country during wartime, the Ukrainian was once on top of the mountain at lightweight. Now, he wants to reclaim his spot.
The 35-year-old challenges Devin Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion, for all the gold. Inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the fight airs on ESPN+ PPV on May 20.
A three-division champion, Lomachenko got featured on several pound-for-pound lists at one point. A win against Haney could propel him back to the top. Against the 24-year-old Haney, Lomachenko believes he has what it takes to reclaim his status as the lightweight king.
“For me, it’s like I prepared for the first Olympic games,” Lomachenko said via Boxing News 24. “I go to bed with this dream. I wake up with this dream. I live with this dream.”
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The Sporting News now looks into the career of Lomachenko, from where he started to how he became one of the most decorated boxers in the world.
What titles has Vasiliy Lomachenko won?
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Lomachenko has won seven gold medals in his career.
Lomachenko's held the WBO featherweight title, which he won in his third pro bout. He has also won the WBO super featherweight title, as well as the WBA, WBO, and WBC lightweight belts.
What is Vasiliy Lomachenko’s boxing record?
Lomachenko has a 17-2 record, with 11 wins via knockout. He started his pro career following an amateur career with a reported 396 wins.
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'The Matrix' turned pro in 2013, beating Jose Luis Ramirez via knockout. After losing to Orlando Salido via split decision for the WBO featherweight title (in his second fight), he beat Gary Russell Jr. for the belt, and won 13 in a row.
In 2016, Lomachenko beat Roman Martinez to become the WBO super featherweight champion. Following multiple title defenses, Lomachenko beat Jorge Linares in 2018 for the WBA lightweight title. He beat Jose Pedraza that same year to win the WBO title and Luke Campbell in 2019 for the WBC belt.
In 2020, Teofimo Lopez beat Lomchenko to win lightweight gold. The latter quickly recovered by beating Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey in 2021, both previous Lopez opponents. Before he could continue his career, Lomachenko went to Ukraine to fight against Russian aggression.
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“You can’t think about your future when there’s a war coming to your house,” Lomachenko said. “You just think about life, and about your family, and about the people around you. You think about how you can live another day. You can’t think about your job. You can’t think about a professional sport.”
Following a few months away, Lomachenko returned to the ring, beating Jamaine Ortiz in October 2022 via unanimous decision.