What next for the still-brilliant Vasiliy Lomachenko? With the decision loss that Loma suffered in his fight with Devin Haney still causing anger and debate – Oscar De La Hoya tweeted how Lomachenko won “hands down” and that “whoever thinks Loma didn’t win does not know sh** about boxing” – Lomachenko’s team members have said an appeal will be launched over the decision.
An appeal will almost certainly lead to not very much at all, let’s face it. But what next for Loma if he does not get the rematch he wants with Haney (and a return fight does not look likely)? One man who has proposed an interesting fight is former lightweight champ George Kambosos Jr – the man Loma was supposed to fight back in June of 2022.
Fans may recall how, after Kambosos had upset Loma conqueror Teofimo Lopez (who defeated Loma via yet another close, debatable decision), his first title defence was to have been against Lomachenko. But the still ongoing Ukraine troubles got in the way, with Lomachenko opting to remain in his battle-torn country with his family instead of taking the fight that had been agreed for Melbourne, Australia. Now, Kambosos is suggesting the “big stadium fight in Australia” can still happen for the now 17-3(11) Lomachenko.
“He’s got a big, big stadium fight in Australia with Kambosos, like we were originally going to do,” Kambosos said to Fight Hub. “Let him heal, let him go back home to Ukraine. I’m praying for Ukraine. But, yeah, it is what it is.”
Lomachenko-Kambosos would still be a huge attraction in Australia, and maybe this fight would indeed be a great comeback fight for Loma, in fact for both men. Kambosos, 20-2(10) and coming off back-to-back decision losses to Haney, is itching to reach the top once again, and a big win over Lomachenko would aid him massively in his quest. While for Loma, he would, with this fight, have the chance to go in and try and dominate a very good fighter in his homeland.
Kambosos is set to fight Maxi Hughes next, in July, but maybe that once-set fight with Loma can still happen, a year-and-a-half or so after it was initially supposed to happen.
And to repeat, Lomachenko fighting in Australia would be nothing short of huge for the country. And for Kambosos.
