Boxing star Vasiliy Lomachenko decides to retire at age 37

Vasiliy Lomachenko has announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 37.

The Ukrainian sensation leaves behind a storied career as arguably the greatest amateur boxer in history and then a three-division world champion once he transitioned to the pro ranks.

“I’m grateful for every victory and every defeat, both in the ring and in life,” Lomachenko said in a video posted on social media Thursday. “I’m thankful that, as my career comes to an end, I’ve gained clarity about the direction a person must take in order to achieve true victory, not just in the ring.”

Lomachenko’s decision comes just over a year after his last fight, an 11th-round TKO of former undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. There were preliminary talks of a blockbuster fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis. The fight never came to fruition as, according to Lomachenko manager Egis Klimas, his fighter “didn’t have the motivation” and took the rest of 2024 off to mull his future. As it turns out, his future would be walking away from the sport.

“It’s been an honor for all of us at Top Rank to promote the pro boxing career of Vasiliy Lomachenko,” Bob Arum, Lomachenko’s longtime promoter at Top Rank Boxing, said in a statement. “He was a generational champion, and we will all miss his participation in the sport.”

As an amateur, Lomachenko amassed a stunning record of 396-1, winning Olympic gold medals for his native Ukraine at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. He decided to turn pro and signed with Top Rank Promotions, making his pro debut Oct. 12, 2013, defeating Jose Ramirez by fourth-round knockout. Rather than be brought along slowly, Lomachenko was thrust into a world title opportunity in his second fight, against WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido. Lomachenko fell short in his bid to become the first fighter to win a world champion in their second pro fight when he dropped a tough-luck decision. However, he would make good on his second attempt at a world title by defeating Gary Russell Jr. in his third pro fight to capture the vacant WBO championship on June 21, 2014.

“Hi-Tech” made three successful title defenses before jumping up to junior lightweight and taking out Roman Martinez for the WBO title in 2016 and going on a tear through the division, defending dominantly against Nicholas Walters, Jason Sosa and Miguel Marriaga before meeting Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux, a fellow Olympic gold medalist and standout amateur, in a highly anticipated 2017 showdown. Lomachenko forced Rigondeaux to retire on the stool between rounds, the fourth consecutive opponent he did that against, to retain the title.

As a permanent fixture atop the pound-for-pound rankings, Lomachenko moved up another weight class and challenged Jorge Linares for the WBO lightweight title in 2018 and won by knockout in the tenth round. Lomachenko unified the titles at lightweight with wins over Jose Pedraza, Anthony Crolla and Luke Campbell but suffered his second career loss when he faced Teofimo Lopez in 2020. Lomachenko would get back to his winning ways and win three consecutive fights before dropping a highly controversial decision to undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney in 2023. He would only fight once more, beating Kambosos and ending his illustrious pro career with a record of 18-3, 12 KOs.

“To my family, you have always stood by me. You shared in my victories, and you felt the pain of my losses. Those losses only made us stronger,” Lomachenko said. “I would be remiss not to thank you, my dear boxing fans from around the world. You have always supported me with passion through my most unforgettable fights.”