Boxing icon Lomachenko retires: The Ukrainian ends his career at the age of 37 – as a three-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion.
Vasiliy Lomachenko has officially announced his retirement from boxing. The 37-year-old Ukrainian ends one of the most outstanding careers in modern boxing history as a three-time world champion in three weight classes and two-time Olympic champion. His amateur record: 396 victories with only one defeat – a monument to the sport.
His last fight took place in May 2024, when he defeated George Kambosos Jr. by TKO and secured the vacant IBF lightweight title. Now “Loma” explained his retirement from active sport in an emotional statement on social media. “I am grateful for every victory and every defeat – in the ring and in life,” wrote Lomachenko. He particularly thanked his family and his father Anatoly, who had shaped him both in sport and in life.
After turning professional in 2013, Lomachenko won his first world title against Gary Russell Jr. in just his third fight – a first in the boxing world. This was followed by title wins against Roman Martinez (2016) and Jorge Linares (2018). Even though his three defeats – against Salido, Lopez and Haney – remained controversial, they did nothing to change his legend. With his retirement, boxing has not only lost one of the most technically brilliant fighters of all time – it was not for nothing that he had nicknames such as “Hi-Tech” or “The Matrix” – but also a charismatic personality who shaped generations of boxing fans.
Text by Robin Josten