Renowned boxing insider Mike Coppinger recently reported that Lomachenko may consider retiring. In a conversation with NV-Sport editor Lyubomyr Lukanyuk, the champion attempted to analyze whether it's time for Vasyl to step away, what mistakes he made throughout his boxing career, and what lies ahead for Lomachenko.
– Mr. Lyubomyr, should Vasyl hang up his gloves right now? Is there any sense in having one more fight as the reigning world champion?
– Why not have a few more fights if his health allows? He has nothing to lose and could make some money while still competing for another title.
– Will Lomachenko make it to the Boxing Hall of Fame, alongside Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko?
– He is a three-weight world champion and became the second boxer in history to win a championship belt in his third fight. He became the world champion in his third weight category in his 12th fight, which is a record. There are many more achievements to mention. So, what else does he need to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after his career ends?!
– If we summarize Vasyl's career, where did he shine more, in amateur boxing or on the professional stage?
– He was a champion and a star in both amateur and professional boxing. Thus, he has become a legend in both arenas.
Vasyl Lomachenko
– Did Lomachenko's decision to stay for a second Olympic cycle (2008-2012) in amateur boxing prevent him from achieving better results in professional boxing? Can we say it was a strategic mistake by Vasyl and his father?
– After the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Lomachenko had a clear goal. It was not to become a world champion in the professional ranks, but to be the first two-time Olympic boxing champion in Ukraine's history. He achieved that, so he made the right decision for himself at that stage of his career.
However, after the 2012 Olympics, Lomachenko's team made a strategic mistake by participating in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). This was definitely almost a year and a half wasted with only one competitive fight against Selimov.
What could Lomachenko have achieved if he turned professional in 2008? He probably would have become a world champion faster, had more championship fights, and earned more money. But, in my opinion, very few fans will remember the weight classes in which Lomachenko was champion, what versions of belts he held, or whom he defeated. For most, he is just a world champion in professional boxing and a two-time Olympic champion in amateur boxing. In Ukraine, being an Olympic champion is undoubtedly more prestigious for the country than being a world boxing champion. Therefore, in my subjective opinion, Lomachenko made the right choice by staying for the second Olympic cycle.
– Should Lomachenko have changed his father as a coach when transitioning to professional boxing? We remember how he lost his second professional fight, where the championship title was at stake, largely due to Anatoly Lomachenko's inexperience as a trainer, who was just starting out in professional boxing.
– It seems from the outside that there were miscalculations in Lomachenko's team. There should have been people to help him quickly understand the differences between amateur and professional boxing. I don't believe Vasyl could have refused to work with his father, so promoters should have figured out how to compensate for Lomachenko Jr.’s hyper-dependence on Lomachenko Sr.
– What awaits Lomachenko in Ukraine? Will he remain a marginal figure with "orthodox brain" or will common sense prevail, as it did with the start of the full-scale war involving Oleksandr Usyk?
– Usyk hasn't completely changed his stance; he still supports the Moscow Patriarchate. So how is Usyk different from Lomachenko in his "orthodox brain"? Will questions arise for Lomachenko after the war? I hope that those planning to question Lomachenko will first confront the military recruiters who bought villas abroad, the heads of the medical commissions who turned healthy individuals into disabled ones, and those who sold eggs for 17 UAH each while demining Chonhar—this list could go on for several dozen pages. And only at the end would there be questions for Lomachenko...
Maxym Rozenko, Champion
Editor-in-Chief – Denys Shakhovets