Reports: Vasiliy Lomachenko will return to ring against Jamaine Ortiz in October
Vasiliy Lomachenko will resume his career this fall, according to multiple reports.
The 34-year-old former pound-for-pound king will face fellow lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz in late October on ESPN. The site has not been determined.
Lomachenko is coming off a one-sided decision over Richard Commey last December, his second consecutive victory since he lost the undisputed 135-pound championship to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020.
He and George Kambosos Jr., who took Lopez’s belts, agreed to fight in June but Lomachenko pulled out and then stepped away from the sport after his native Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February. Devin Haney stepped in a took Kambosos’ titles.
Lomachenko has following the lead of countryman Oleksandr Usyk, who will return to the ring in a rematch with Anthony Joshua on Saturday.
ESPN reported that Lomachenko arrived in Los Angeles in Tuesday to begin training for the fight with Ortiz. If he wins, he would be a strong position to face the winner of the Oct. 15 rematch between Haney and Kambosos for all the major titles.
Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) last fought in May, when he delivered a break-through unanimous decision victory over former titleholder Jamel Herring. Herring retired after the fight.
Lomachenko is No. 8 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list.
