Ukrainian IBF lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko is facing some backlash for his decision to take this year off following contract negotiations with WBA 135 lbs champion Gervonta Davis for a unification bout. While the reported talks between both fighters had only been rumored, Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas confirmed that talks had taken place between the two parties.
The rejection by IBF champion Vasyl Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KO’s) of a unification fight with WBA champion Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KO’s) is an untimely decision by the Ukrainian given the opportunity that lurked for him to increase his already prominent legacy within the sport. More cautiously, however, Lomachenko’s refusal sets him up for ridicule within the sport, where he can be referred to as a “duck” for avoiding steep competition in Davis.
For years, both fighters had been linked to one another due to their respective abilities, making them the top competitors in the lightweight (135 lbs) division. Unfortunately, a fight between Lomachenko and Davis might not ever occur following Egis Klimas’ recent statements―during an interview with boxing reporter Steve Kim―which confirmed that Lomachenko would not fight Gervonta Davis in 2024.
“Loma [Vasyl Lomachenko] is not in the mood right now, he doesn’t have the motivation at the moment. He’s taking off, he wants to spend more time with the family. He doesn’t want to do anything till the end of the year. So he’s definitely not coming to the ring till the end of the year. With Loma, just money is not what motivates him. He doesn’t take anything just because of money. You can offer him millions, tens of millions of dollars―if he doesn’t have motivation, he’s not ready to prepare for the fight.”
Klimas’ comments on Vasyl Lomachenko not being “in the mood” to fight this year appear to have come out of nowhere and are not helped by the fact this news came out after the Ukrainian had been rumored to be in negotiations with Davis’ team for a unification bout. The nagging question remains as to why negotiations had been initiated in the first place if it had been Lomachenko’s intention to sit the year out.
According to Klimas, Lomachenko has not retired and is planning to fight either by the end of 2024 or next year in 2025. Notably, there was no mention of who Lomachenko would face at that point, but he could be leaning towards fighting the potential winner of Gervonta Davis versus WBC 135 lbs champion Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KO’s).
“Did Vasyl Lomachenko just give Shakur Stevenson the opportunity he’s been looking for? Will we finally get Tank [Gervonta Davis] versus Shakur?”
Though no talks between Stevenson’s and Davis’ teams have yet been verified, Stevenson is currently a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Top Rank following his July 6th fight. A fight between Davis and Stevenson would also be a unification bout, allowing Lomachenko to pick up at least two more titles if he were to fight the winner.
It should be noted that Lomachenko’s own plans for the future are very much unknown. Further complicating Lomachenko engaging in any unification bout upon his return is a likely order by the IBF for Lomachenko to face a mandatory challenger. As the IBF’s own rules state, a non-heavyweight champion under the sanctioning body has nine (9) months to defend their title after acquiring it.
Based on the fact Lomachenko conquered the IBF lightweight title on May 12th, that would make a mandatory title defense due for somewhere in February of next year. Given the IBF’s proven inconsistency, however, there is no certainty as to whether Lomachenko will actually be ordered to face a mandatory challenger.
If the IBF were to dictate Lomachenko to face a mandatory challenger during the Ukrainian’s upcoming sabbatical this year, two of the most likely candidates would be Mexican contender William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KO’s)―who is currently rated at #1 on every sanctioning body’s rankings board―and fellow Top Rank American contender Keyshawn Davis (11-0, 7 KO’s)―currently ranked at #3 on the IBF’s 135 lbs rankings.
Though the rankings will be subject to change over the next 9 months, Lomachenko might be in for a very busy year once he returns to the ring.
