Vasiliy Lomachenko has recently announced his retirement, leaving behind a record of 18-3.
Vasiliy Lomachenko has announced his retirement from the sport of boxing after defeating George Kambosos Jr. in his last fight in May 2024.
The Ukrainian ‘Matrix’ was 396-1 as an amateur, but fell short to Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney (controversially), and Orlando Salido as a professional.
His retirement, though, paves the way for one 5-0 prospect to snatch the IBF world title as early as his seventh fight.
Andy Cruz could become a world champion after Lomachenko vacates IBF title
Andy Cruz, a 5-0 Cuban professional with an amateur record of 135-9, has his eyes firmly on the IBF world title.
His next fight, which will take place next weekend, will see him face 17-1-1 Hironori Mishiro in an IBF eliminator on the undercard of Richardson Hitchins vs George Kambosos Jr.
With Lomachenko, who was ordered to make a choice by October regarding his retirement, now retired, Raymond Muratella, who holds the interim title, is expected to be elevated to full world champion status, and a win over Mishiro next weekend could put Cruz in pole position for Muratella’s crown.
Muratella is 23-0, and won the interim belt in his last fight against 20-1 Zaur Abdullaev.
Andy Cruz could soon settle feud with world champion rival once and for all
The future looks bright for Cruz, as Lomachenko’s retirement means a world title shot may be imminent, and with it, a clear opportunity for a big unification with one arch-rival.
In his last fight against Denys Berinchyk, the king of ringwalks, Keyshawn Davis claimed the WBO title and upgraded his record to 13-0.
Davis and Cruz had quite the rivalry in the amateurs, though the results were extremely one sided, with Cruz defeating Davis four out of four times.
If Cruz can grab the world title in his seventh fight, then a unification with Davis could come in his eighth.