The numbers do not lie, but sometimes they do not tell the whole truth.
Vasiliy Lomachenko announced a boxing pension on Thursday at the age of 37. He leaves this sport as a world champion with three divisions with a professional 18-3 (12 KO) record. Over the years, a modern wave of boxing fans will appear, who will not witness how Ukrainian impression will apply his craft in the ring. Instead, they will look at his album and ask how a warrior with three losses in just 21 fights can be considered great. Especially in the era, in which the size is often defined by protecting the undefeated record, something that Floyd Mayweather became eminent, withdrawing with the 50-0 record.
But Lomachenko was a different type of athlete whose journey through a professional ranks after an extraordinary amateur career, in which he won two golden Olympic medals and collected an unusual record of 396-1, was opposite most boxing careers. Instead of spending the early part of his professional career, facing unspecified opponents, Lomachenko for the main challenges and was defined by overcoming the opportunities.
In his second professional fight, less than five months after his debut, Lomachenko was adapted to the strict featherweight master WBO Orlando Salido in March 2014. Lomachenko chased history, trying to break the record, becoming world champion only in his second fight. However, Salido had other plans. He missed the weight of 2 pounds and used his advantage of greatness, along with filthy tactics, to submit a Lomachenko with a divided decision.
Untilized, Lomachenko would acclimatize in the Prof style and did well after his second attempt to become the world champion, beating the previously unspecified Gary Russell Jr. In June 2014, in order to gain a free weight title in the WBO featherweight, joining Saensak Muangsurin as the only warriors who became the champion in their third pro -fight.
But his best has just come.
Lomachenko successfully defended the title three times before he moved to Junior Lightweight, where he detained the champion of WBO Roman Martinez in five rounds in June 2016 to become the fastest boxer who won the world titles in two different weight classes (seven fights). Then we got acquainted with “No Mas-Chenko”.
In their four four fights-Nicholas Walters (26-0-1), Jason Sosa (20-1-4), Miguel Marriaga (25-2) and Guillermo Rigondeaux (17-0)-Lomachenko forced each of his opponents to throw a stool between rounds. Thanks to his excellent work of the legs, precise accuracy and extraordinary athleticism, Lomachenko was practically inviolable during this extraordinary run, which strengthened him as the basis in pounds for pounds. Against probably the second amateur boxer of this generation, a colleague from the two -time gold medalist of the Olympic Rigondeaux, Lomachenko easily considered him, enabling Rigondeaux to land only 8% of his total strikes in the TKO victory in the sixth round.
A full career would take the average warrior to achieve what Lomachenko did in just 11 professional fights.
And he still doesn’t finish.
Although he was widely considered a compact delicate junior, Lomachenko set off on a slight journey to his next undertaking, challenging Master WBA, Jorge Linares in May 2018. Although he was dropped in the sixth round, Lomachenko stopped Linars in the 10th round in the 10th round of the liver to become the fastest field to win world world titles. Fighting led by Jeff Fenech.
Thanks to his status, a pound for a pound, Lomachenko United titles with victories over Jose Pedraz and Luke Campbell, but he was unable to become the undisputed champion when he was not the champion of IBF Teofiimo Lopez. After winning his next three fights, Lomachenko appeared again briefly, trying to unite all four main delicate belts when he lost the highly controversial decision of Devin Haney. Both losses – against Haney and Lopez – were against naturally larger opponents with youth on their side.
Before he drove away to the sunset, Lomachenko put a waste of the former unquestioned master, George Cambosos Jr. In May 2024 with TKO from the 11th round in the Perth yard in Perth, Australia. At the age of 36, Lomachenko was not sure of his next move. Between his progress and the desire to be home on a war -torn Ukraine, Lomachenko finally decided that his boxing career was over.
Although Lomachenko did not retire with an excellent record, his appetite for history and taking on the biggest challenges from the moment he transformed professionals, is the reason why he will start the waltz into the International Gallery of Fame in three years. For most boxers, 21 fights are still part of the building phase.
With the same number of fights, Canelo Alvarez was a virtual unknown, which was still fighting only in Mexico. Terenka Crawford has not yet won the main title of the world after its first 21 fights. Even Mayweather, who is rightly recognized as the largest boxer of this generation, did not achieve what Lomachenko did in 21 fights. Lomachenko is a great example of real -time need, to fully understand it and not rely only on numbers and records to tell the story.
Top trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia has considered the outcome of a fantasy showdown between Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao.
The two generational greats reportedly came close to squaring off in 2021, back when Crawford was the WBO welterweight champion and ‘Pac Man’ held the WBA title.
Their unification match never materialised, though, as Pacquiao was scheduled to face Errol Spence Jr before ‘The Truth’ pulled out with a torn retina.
Instead, the Filipino legend ended up losing his WBA title to Yordenis Ugas at a stage when, while still serviceable, he was quite clearly past his best.
Crawford, meanwhile, was hitting top form around this time, just a few fights away from producing arguably a career-best performance against Spence.
He did, of course, manage to stop his welterweight rival in nine rounds, before moving up to 168lbs and becoming a three-division undisputed champion by dethroning Canelo Alvarez last September.
Based on those two performances, coach Garcia has told ESNEWS that he would favour ‘Bud’ to defeat even a prime version of Pacquiao.
“The Crawford that beat Spence – and the Crawford that beat Canelo – would probably beat Manny.”
While Crawford’s prime almost certainly came during his run of eight stoppages at welterweight, it is harder to pinpoint when Pacquiao ultimately reached his peak.
In terms of his most destructive performance at world level, however, many will point towards his second-round finish over Ricky Hatton in 2009.
While facing the ‘Hitman’ at 140lbs, Pacquiao would cement himself as a formidable welterweight champion soon after, dethroning Miguel Cotto with a 12th-round stoppage for the WBO title.
Former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk has been left between a rock and a hard place afterhis promotional contract with Zuffa Boxing has been terminated.
The Ukrainian dethroned long-reigning light-heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson in 2018, scoring an 11th-round stoppage that left his opponent with a brain injury.
Gvozdyk then made a WBC title defence before losing to Artur Beterbievwho extended his ruthless surge with a 10th-round finish in their 2019 encounter.
Since that defeat, ‘The Nail’ suffered a unanimous decision loss to David Benavidez in 2024, before entering a perceived 50/50 contest against Radivoje ‘Hot Rod’ Kalajdzic in February.
With both making their Zuffa debut, the two veterans delivered a thrilling battle in which Gvozdyk scored two knockdowns and had built a sizable lead.
In round seven, though, the 39-year-old found himself on the canvas and was ultimately stopped on his feet after getting dropped a second time.
Given his overall performance, one would suspect he had done enough to justify another meaningful opportunity, yet Gvozdyk has since told vRINGe that he will no longer be fighting under the Zuffa banner.
“They terminated the contract in February after a loss. That is, every promoter has the option that if a boxer loses, they have the right to terminate the contract. That’s exactly what they did. After the fight, everyone was saying how great it was. That everything was great. I rested. I started preparing as planned – somewhere around May. And then, around April, they told me I’d received an email terminating the contract.”
This is because his contract has been terminated, while Kalajdzic’s next outing with Dana White’s promotional outfit is confirmed for September 26 against Craig Richards.
As for Gvozdyk, it is difficult to predict what will come next but, at the age of 39, one would suspect that he is close to hanging up the gloves.
Still, he could hardly have been happy to part ways with Zuffa, which also terminated its contract with Robert Meriwether following his defeat to Tony Hirsch Jr in April.
Former British champion and Olympic bronze medallist David Price has assessed whether his countryman, Conor Bennpossesses the necessary hand speed to defeat Ryan Garcia.
The two welterweights will square off at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12, with Garcia making a first defence of his WBC world title.
It was arguably a career-best performance that saw him dethrone Mario Barrios in February, scoring a first-round knockdown before winning a wide unanimous decision.
But despite coming off this dominant display, Garcia was far less impressive when he returned from a year-long doping ban and lost on points to Rolando Romero in May 2025.
Still, many would argue that the 28-year-old has shown signs of world-class quality, while Benn remains glaringly unproven at the top level.
The 29-year-old has also not fought at 147lbs since 2022, with his last two outings resulting in unanimous decision victories over faded versions of Chris Eubank Jr and Regis Prograis.
Against Eubank, in particular, Benn’s speed seemed a key factor in their two middleweight encounters last year, despite him suffering a points defeat the first time around.
As he approaches this welterweight contest against Garcia, though, former heavyweight contender Price has told The Smith Brothers that he sees Benn contending with an unfamiliar disadvantage.
“I think I [favour Garcia]. Conor Benn’s got great hand speed, but I think [Garcia’s] hand speed could make the difference in the fight.”
Like Garcia, Benn tested positive for a banned substance – clomifene – and was eventually removed from his cancelled 2022 encounter with Eubank.
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