Latest news with #VasylLomachenko
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The Best Fighters to Come… From Ukraine
If the world has learned anything of note in the past three years, it may be that the Ukrainians are not a people to be messed with. Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN Given what has been seen of Ukrainian bravery, fortitude, and resistance in that time, it is no surprise that the nation has given the world some tremendous boxers and fighters over the last twenty-five years. Vasyl Lomachenko, 18-3 (12) Newly retired, 'Loma' may have been the most preternaturally gifted boxer of his generation. As an amateur, he won 396 of 397 amateur fights and picked up Olympic medals in 2008 and 2012. Bizarrely, his debut fight was for a title, albeit a largely meaningless one in the form of the WBO international featherweight belt. But Lomachenko won by stoppage in four rounds, then promptly lost a split decision five months later for the WBO world featherweight title. Not to be deterred, Lomachenko won that title just three months later with a majority decision against Gary Allen Russell Jr and then went on a run of twelve victories, moving like a scythe through the likes of Anthony Crolla, Luke Campbell, Jorge Linares, and Guillermo Rigondeaux. In 2020, Lomachenko attempted to unify the world lightweight title but dropped a unanimous decision to Teofimo Lopez. He moved back to winning ways with three wins on the trot, before losing a decision to the then-undefeated Devin Haney in another world lightweight unification bout. There was, however, one last hurrah when Lomachenko went to Australia just over a year ago where he stopped George Kambosos Jr in eleven rounds. Retiring this week at the age of 37, Lomachenko said that he was moving in a new direction in life. Wladimir Klitschko, 64-5 (53) The former undisputed heavyweight king was actually born within the borders of Kazakhstan in 1976, but is proudly and firmly Ukrainian. After winning gold in the super-heavyweight division in the 1996 Olympics, the younger of the Klitschko brothers turned professional in 1996 and fought mainly in Germany before US fighter Ross Puritty stopped him in eleven rounds in Kyiv in 1998. Returning in Germany, this Klitschko steadily rebuilt, fighting across the world, until WBO champion Chris Byrd was persuaded to go to Cologne in 2000. A twelve-round decision gave Klitschko his first world title, which he then defended against the likes of Charles Shufford, 17-1; Frans Both, 44-3-1; Ray Mercer, 30-4-1; and Jameel McCline, 28-2-3. The wheels coming off with losses in the second and fifth rounds to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster in 2003 and 2004 seemed to spell the end, but Klitschko outscored dangerman Samuel Peter before steadily collecting all the belts (apart from the WBC, which was owned by brother Vitali). A close loss to Tyson Fury in Dusseldorf in 2015 spelled the end of one of the longest heavyweight runs. But there was still some fire left – a 2017 match against Anthony Joshua, when Klitschko was 41, became a heavyweight classic and proved as good a time as any for the Ukrainian to finally retire. Vitali Klitschko, 45-2 (41) If Wladimir was the boxer, then elder brother Vitali was the fighter. Currently Mayor of Kyiv, this Klitschko was originally supposed to be Ukraine's super-heavyweight in the 1996 Olympics but lost out on a berth due to a failed drugs test. Instead, the senior Klitschko turned professional later that year and, fighting largely out of Germany like his brother, worked his way up to the European title within two years. After defending the European title twice, Klitschko went to London and knocked out the heavy-punching Herbie Hide in two rounds for the WBO title. Two defences of the WBO title followed before a shoulder injury forced Klitschko to retire after nine rounds against Chris Byrd. If Vitali's standing had been diminished by the loss to Byrd, he regained it by losing on cuts against Lennox Lewis, coming in on short notice. There was no rematch, however, as Lewis retired and Klitschko, after defeating Kirk Johnson in two rounds, slugged it out against Corrie Sanders to win the vacant WBC title. After one defence and citing injuries, Klitschko retired. Only to come back four years later, stopping Samuel Peter in eight rounds in Berlin. Reinvigorated, Klitschko made nine defences of the WBC title before retiring after a technical knockout over Mahmoud Charr. Oleksandr Usyk, 23-0 (14) Current heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is the only fighter on this list to still be undefeated, although many have tried. The problem is that there may be no heavyweight on the planet capable of doing so while only in possession of two arms. While Usyk has remained undefeated against Fury (twice), Joshua (twice), and Dubois in what has been one of the richest seams in heavyweight history, he also does so as a cruiserweight who has moved up. It is a rare occurrence, too, that Usyk fights at home in Ukraine. But this is a man who has spent the majority of his career on the road. Usyk won his first world title against the Polish Krzysztof Glowacki in Gdansk, Poland, in 2016. From there, he defended his title twice in the US, before travelling to Germany to beat Marco Huck in the inaugural World Boxing Super Series. Usyk then travelled on foreign soil three times, to beat Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev, and Tony Bellew on home territory before going to Chicago to beat Chazz Witherspoon in Usyk's first heavyweight fight. He then came back to the UK to beat Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua, the latter for the heavyweight titles. Decamping to Saudi Arabia, Usyk rematched Joshua – and won. Then he went to Poland to fight Daniel Dubois (the city was brimmed that night with Ukrainians – the closest to a home crowd Usyk had had in years), before returning to Riyadh to face Tyson Fury twice – winning both bouts. And in a few weeks, live and exclusive on DAZN, Usyk will face Daniel Dubois again – this time at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month.
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Vasyl Lomachenko's five best fights as modern great retires
Vasyl Lomachenko shocked the boxing world yesterday by announcing his retirement from boxing at 37. The Ukrainian had a short but hugely successful pro career, becoming the fastest fighter ever to be a three-weight world champion, doing so in just 12 fights. He also amassed arguably the greatest amateur record of all time, 396-1, claiming two Olympic gold medals along the way. To honour the career of one of the best pure boxers the sport has ever seen, here are Lomachenko's five best wins as a professional. Guillermo Rigondeaux December 19, 2017, Madison Square Garden – Lomachenko faced another amateur legend and two-time Olympic Champion - Guillermo Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux came into the fight having not lost since 2003 as an amateur, but had moved up two weight classes to face Lomachenko. It was clear that Lomachenko, eight years younger, would be too much for Rigondeaux from the opening bell. His speed, strength and dynamism going forwards were more than even the Cuban defensive master could handle. The Cuban champion was unable to put any shots together against the WBO champion, who was able to anticipate anything coming his way and extinguish the fires with ease. The fight ended before the seventh round as Rigondeaux retired on his stool, claiming an early hand injury stopped him from continuing. But this was the fourth consecutive opponent of Lomachenko's who said ' no mas '. At the time of the retirement, all three scorecards were in favour of the Ukrainian, 59-54. 59-54 and 60-53. Jorge Linares May 5, 2018, Madison Square Garden – Having sought out new challenges at lightweight, Lomachenko took on the WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares. On fight night, the Venezuelan found initial success in punching with Lomachenko to stem the flow of his volume punching, but the former super featherweight champ's footwork allowed him to get in and out of range before any of Linares' counters could meaningfully land. Lomachenko suffered the first real setback of his career in the sixth round as he got perhaps too comfortable entering Linares's range and got caught with a well-timed right hand that put him on the canvas. He beat the count but was saved by the bell before Linares had the opportunity to follow up. The fight was a stalemate on the scorecards in the tenth round. But this would not matter as Lomachenko pushed Linares back to the ropes and landed a body shot that dropped the WBA champion to one knee. He beat the count, but the referee chose to end the fight in the tenth, giving the Ukrainian a world title in his third weight division. Luke Campbell August 31, 2019, The O2 – It was another battle of the Olympic gold medallists as 'Loma' travelled to the UK to fight Luke Campbell. Campbell had a mixed run as a pro up to the Loma fight, having been beaten twice already, but had an amateur pedigree that meant you could never write him off. The opening rounds were cagey as the much taller Campbell attempted to keep Lomachenko at the end of his jab, but what some mistake for Campbell getting the better of his opponent is the Ukrainian downloading all of Campbell's reactions, movements and habits before taking over. That is exactly what he did, gliding around Campbell, landing hooks to head and body at will, then pivoting away at an angle – boxing for the purists. Lomachenko had Campbell hurt at the end of the fifth round, landing a flurry of hooks, and as Campbell looked ready to drop, the bell sounded. But the writing was on the wall, and the champion knew how to get to his opponent. He once again breached the defences of Campbell in the eleventh, but there was no bell to save him this time, and he got dropped by a right hook. He made it up before the count, but Lomachenko won a wide decision, 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109. Gary Allen Russell Jr June 21, 2014, Carson – After losing a controversial split decision to an overweight Orlando Salido for the WBO super featherweight title in his second professional fight, Lomachenko would get another shot in his next fight against the unbeaten but unproven Gary Allen Russell Jr. Russell Jr's game plan was clear from the outset; he wanted to outpunch 'Loma'. But as any great fighter does, the Ukrainian adjusted on the fly to nullify Russell Jr's fast combinations, absorbing them on the gloves or simply making him miss. Lomachenko was landing the more effective and eye-catching work through the middle rounds, making Russell Jr look lost at times with his hypnotic footwork. The American could not keep up or make any changes to turn the tide, highlighting the gap in quality between the two Lomachenko's body work came home to roost in the championship rounds as Russell Jr began to fade and was hurt on multiple occasions. Despite a mysterious 114-114 draw on one scorecard, the Ukrainian came home to win a majority decision with 116-112 on two scorecards and claim his first world title. Nicholas Walters November 26, 2016, Las Vegas – Lomachenko took on what was supposed to be the toughest test of his career against an avoided power puncher in Nicholas Walters, who was unbeaten in 27 fights with 21 knockouts. Many thought that Walters would have the ingredients to give Lomachenko serious problems. His wide, bladed stance and powerful hooking should have made it more difficult for Lomachenko to pivot around him and unload combinations. But on the night, the WBO super featherweight champion proved he had still not shown his true potential. His upper body movement made him impossibly elusive, bobbing and weaving, then springing back with attacks at previously unknown angles to Walters. Credit to Walters, who changed his game plan, moving down to hook the body more in the sixth round. But as quickly as he adjusted, Lomachenko had it covered before the round was even over. Outgunned and outmatched, Walters retired in the seventh round and would not fight again until 2023.
The Star
05-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Boxing-Double Olympic champion Lomachenko announces retirement
FILE PHOTO: Boxing - Vasyl Lomachenko v Luke Campbell - WBO, WBA & WBC World Lightweight Titles - O2 Arena, London, Britain - August 31, 2019 Vasyl Lomachenko during the fight Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo (Reuters) -Ukraine's double Olympic gold medallist and three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko announced his retirement from boxing on Thursday at the age of 37 and more than a year after his last fight. Lomachenko beat Australian George Kambosos Jr with an 11th round stoppage in Perth last May to claim the vacant IBF lightweight belt. The 2008 featherweight and 2012 lightweight Olympic champion wraps up his professional career with a record of 18 wins and three defeats, with 12 knockouts, after an amateur record of 396 wins and only one defeat. He was unified lightweight champion and also won world titles as a featherweight and super-featherweight. "I'm grateful for every victory and every defeat both in the ring and in life," Lomachenko said in a video message on social media. "I'm thankful that, as my career comes to an end, I've gained clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve true victory, not just in the ring but in overcoming their old self." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vasyl Lomachenko announces retirement from boxing: ‘I am grateful for every victory and defeat'
Vasyl Lomachenko has announced his retirement at the age of 37, bringing an end to the career of one of boxing's modern greats. Lomachenko retires as a former three-weight world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, and he relinquishes the IBF lightweight title by calling time on his in-ring career. Advertisement The Ukrainian southpaw last fought in May 2024, stopping George Kambosos Jr on the Australian's home turf to win that belt and take his professional record to 18-3 (12 knockouts). His only defeats were close but unanimous decisions against Teofimo Lopez in 2020 and Devin Haney in 2023, and a split decision against Orlando Salido in 2014. The latter result came in just his second pro bout, with the vacant WBO featherweight title on the line. 'Loma' won the belt in his next outing and retained it in his following three bouts, before moving to super-featherweight and winning the WBO strap in that division. Lomachenko retained his super-featherweight title four times before climbing up again and winning the WBO lightweight belt. After collecting the WBC lightweight title in 2019, Lomachenko suffered his defeat by Lopez in an IBF unification bout, before winning three fights in a row prior to his controversial loss to Haney. Advertisement Lomachenko bounced back again by stopping Kambosos Jr in his final fight, adding to notable wins over Jorge Linares, Luke Campbell, Anthony Crolla, Jose Pedraza and Jamaine Ortiz. Vasyl Lomachenko (right) dropped George Kambosos Jr twice in the 11th round to earn a stoppage in his final fight (EPA) Prior to turning pro, Lomachenko won featherweight gold at the 2008 Olympics and lightweight gold at the 2012 Games. He also won World Championship gold in 2009 and 2011, and European gold in 2008. 'First and foremost, I want to thank our Lord, Jesus Christ, for everything he has done for me, for guiding a prideful young man down a path that routinely showed me that fame, legacy and recognition are not the true purpose of life,' Lomachenko said in a social-media video on Thursday (5 June). Advertisement 'I am grateful for every victory and every defeat, both in the ring and in life. I am thankful that, as my career comes to an end, I have gained clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve true victory – not just in the ring but in overcoming their old self. Only then can one receive their true reward. 'I thank God for my wonderful, honest and kind parents – for their care, their love and their warmth, [which] I felt throughout my life. My father [and trainer Anatoly Lomachenko] not only taught me the art of boxing but also how to be a role model for my own children, the same way he has always been for me. Lomachenko celebrates his second Olympic gold medal, at London 2012 (Getty Images) 'I have made many mistakes in life and in the gym, but he was always by my side correcting me when needed, praising me. I have many warm memories. I love you deeply, dad. I bow before you and dedicate the most helpful words in the world to you. You are my No 1. Advertisement 'To my family: you have always stood by me. You shared in my victories with joy and felt the pain of my losses, but those moments only made us stronger. 'Dear Egis [Klimas], thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. You are a man who knows his craft, the best manager in the world who became a friend and part of our family. 'Your professionalism goes hand in hand with your character: honesty, integrity, kindness and the ability to find the solution in any situation. You are a rare manager who handled every challenge 100 per cent. I wish you the best of health so that, through you, new boxing stars can rise. Lomachenko was widely deemed unlucky not to get the win over Devin Haney in 2023 (AP) 'I want to thank [promotional company] Top Rank and Mr Bob Arum for the amazing opportunity to showcase my abilities in boxing. I am grateful to the United States of America for giving me the chance to realise my potential. 'And of course, I would also be remiss not to thank you, my dear boxing fans around the world. You have always supported me with passion and lived through unforgettable fights alongside me for over a decade. I hope you continue to love and respect this sport, because the men who step in the ring risk their health for the sake of their families. Peace to all, may the Lord bless his people.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vasyl Lomachenko announces retirement from boxing: ‘I am grateful for every victory and defeat'
Vasyl Lomachenko has announced his retirement at the age of 37, bringing an end to the career of one of boxing's modern greats. Lomachenko retires as a former three-weight world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, and he relinquishes the IBF lightweight title by calling time on his in-ring career. The Ukrainian southpaw last fought in May 2024, stopping George Kambosos Jr on the Australian's home turf to win that belt and take his professional record to 18-3 (12 knockouts). His only defeats were close but unanimous decisions against Teofimo Lopez in 2020 and Devin Haney in 2023, and a split decision against Orlando Salido in 2014. The latter result came in just his second pro bout, with the vacant WBO featherweight title on the line. 'Loma' won the belt in his next outing and retained it in his following three bouts, before moving to super-featherweight and winning the WBO strap in that division. Lomachenko retained his super-featherweight title four times before climbing up again and winning the WBO lightweight belt. After collecting the WBC lightweight title in 2019, Lomachenko suffered his defeat by Lopez in an IBF unification bout, before winning three fights in a row prior to his controversial loss to Haney. Lomachenko bounced back again by stopping Kambosos Jr in his final fight, adding to notable wins over Jorge Linares, Luke Campbell, Anthony Crolla, Jose Pedraza and Jamaine Ortiz. Prior to turning pro, Lomachenko won featherweight gold at the 2008 Olympics and lightweight gold at the 2012 Games. He also won World Championship gold in 2009 and 2011, and European gold in 2008. 'First and foremost, I want to thank our Lord, Jesus Christ, for everything he has done for me, for guiding a prideful young man down a path that routinely showed me that fame, legacy and recognition are not the true purpose of life,' Lomachenko said in a social-media video on Thursday (5 June). 'I am grateful for every victory and every defeat, both in the ring and in life. I am thankful that, as my career comes to an end, I have gained clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve true victory – not just in the ring but in overcoming their old self. Only then can one receive their true reward. 'I thank God for my wonderful, honest and kind parents – for their care, their love and their warmth, [which] I felt throughout my life. My father [and trainer Anatoly Lomachenko] not only taught me the art of boxing but also how to be a role model for my own children, the same way he has always been for me. 'I have made many mistakes in life and in the gym, but he was always by my side correcting me when needed, praising me. I have many warm memories. I love you deeply, dad. I bow before you and dedicate the most helpful words in the world to you. You are my No 1. 'To my family: you have always stood by me. You shared in my victories with joy and felt the pain of my losses, but those moments only made us stronger. 'Dear Egis [Klimas], thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. You are a man who knows his craft, the best manager in the world who became a friend and part of our family. 'Your professionalism goes hand in hand with your character: honesty, integrity, kindness and the ability to find the solution in any situation. You are a rare manager who handled every challenge 100 per cent. I wish you the best of health so that, through you, new boxing stars can rise. 'I want to thank [promotional company] Top Rank and Mr Bob Arum for the amazing opportunity to showcase my abilities in boxing. I am grateful to the United States of America for giving me the chance to realise my potential. 'And of course, I would also be remiss not to thank you, my dear boxing fans around the world. You have always supported me with passion and lived through unforgettable fights alongside me for over a decade. I hope you continue to love and respect this sport, because the men who step in the ring risk their health for the sake of their families. Peace to all, may the Lord bless his people.'
