Just prior to the Christmas holidays, Bob Arum gave an interview with Sky Sports, and he said that Vasiliy Lomachenko would decide by January 1st if he would or would not fight again. Well, nine days after the supposed deadline, Loma has still to make up his mind – at least officially. And as great as Lomachenko is, the sport waits for no man.
As has been reported by numerous websites, Lomachenko, who was given a medical exemption of 60 days on November 14, has now been granted a second medical exemption. However, the condition is that Lomachenko must face the winner of an in-the-works fight between Zaur Abdullaev, 20-1(12), and Raymond Muratalla, 22-0(17), who are in talks to meet for the IBF interim belt, by October 8th or else Loma will be stripped of the belt he won back in May with a win over George Kambosos.
Writer Jake Donovan put out a message on X reporting these developments.
So, if Loma doesn’t fight the Abdullaev-Muratalla winner by October 8 at the latest, he will no longer be the IBF lightweight champion if he does decide to come back at a later date. In such a scenario, the winner of the fight between Muratalla and Abdullaev – which could prove to be a fun fight if it happens – would be elevated to full IBF champion.
So, Lomachenko, 18-3(12) has a fight he can focus on IF he IS still interested in boxing again. Lomacheko, a future Hall of Famer without a doubt, may still have the itch to fight, and there could be big fights out there for him this year and beyond. Or does Lomachenko feel in his heart of hearts he has done all he wants to do in the sport?
Only time will tell. 36-year-old Loma beat Kambosos to regain the IBF portion of the 135-pound crown on May 12th of 2024, so almost 17 months will have gone by the time the October 8 deadline rolls around.
