Promoter Bob Arum states that Vasily Lomachenko will return to the ring in 2025 to resume his career after choosing not to go through with the unification fight against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in November.
Arum doesn’t say whether Lomachenko will fight Tank when he returns in 2025. If he doesn’t, he can still make good money in fights against WBO champion Denys Berinchyk and Shakur Stevenson.
Team Tank’s Anger
If Lomachenko chooses not to fight Tank Davis, he will pay him back because he has not wanted anything to do with Loma for a solid six years until now. They didn’t know Loma’s until now, and it’s pretty obvious why.
Fans have been speculating about IBF lightweight champion Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) possibly retiring after he chose not to fight Tank Davis in what would have been a lucrative fight that would have likely earned Loma his most significant career payday by a wide margin.
Tank Davis’ team is furious that the 36-year-old Lomachenko changed his mind about taking the fight. They view it as a duck job by Loma. Of course, what Team Tank is failing to admit is that Davis avoided fighting Lomachenko in the last six years when the chances were high that he would have soundly beaten Gervonta.
They want the fight with Lomachenko now because he’s older and vulnerable, and it’s a self-serving move for Team Tank. It’s classic cherry-picking 101, which some boxing fans feel has taken Davis this far in the sport.
Tank’s management has been strategically matchmaking from day one, and it’s worked. However, the careful matchmaking has significantly slowed his popularity, so he’s still bringing in low PPV buys, except for the one success against Ryan Garcia.
Arum Confirms Lomachenko’s Return in 2025
“It could be ‘Tank’ as far as Lomachenko is concerned,” promoter Bob Arum told Probox TV about Vasily Lomachenko. “He’s made his money, and he’s saved his money. We’ll see him again.”
“If you don’t feel you can hang with Tank, put a fork in you. It’s done,” said commentator Tim Bradley to Sean Zittel’s YouTube channel, talking about Lomachenko. “It’s going to be hard to return. If he was to return, it’s going to be really hard to return to the sport, but I think Loma retired without saying it, he retired.”
Bradley has it wrong. Lomachenko may have other concerns in his native Ukraine that he’s focused on. His country is under war, which must be a stressor for him.
It’s difficult for Bradley to imagine himself in Lomachenko’s shoes because the U.S. is not under attack by a large country, and 20% of the country has already been captured. Under those conditions, Bradley would be distracted, especially not knowing what the future holds for the U.S.
“It’s a business. Whoever the younger fighter is that’s generating the money, they want them to win,” said Bradley. “That’s just how it goes. I don’t know what he’s [Lomachenko] going through.”
Boxing is politically oriented, and it’s obvious that the popular fighters tend to get the judges’ decisions.
Referees act in ways that help the famous fighters, giving standing eight counts when they’re on the verge of being stopped. Sanctioning bodies order rematches for fighters who lose, but they don’t do the same thing when unpopular fighters are robbed.
“You put all that stress on top of that with his family and friends and stuff,” said Bradley about Lomachenko. “Fighting in a war and getting killed. My hat goes off the Loma on another note. I hope he’s okay. If he decides to hang them up, it is what it is. He’s had a great career. He’s made his money; he’s made his mark. He’s made his history.
Controversial Loss to Haney: A Missed Goal
“He didn’t accomplish his last goal [becoming undisputed lightweight champion], but that’s fine. You accomplished a lot, and you’ve revolutionized the sport. The sport is different now because of Loma,” said Bradley.
Lomachenko would have accomplished his goal of becoming undisputed lightweight champion if the judges had not given him the business in his fight against Devin Haney last year.
Although he appeared to beat Haney, the judges gave the fight to the younger, popular fighter. This left a stain on the sport and didn’t help Haney because he was viewed as having been given preferential treatment.
“You’ve got a lot of guys trying to fight for a world championship a lot faster now. You got a lot of guys trying to emulate Loma’s footwork. They’re trying to emulate his footwork. When you have that kind of effect, that’s legendary status. People trying to emulate your style,” said Bradley.
Lomachenko has accomplished much in the sport, and he’s more emulated than the more popular fighter Tank Davis, who gets by on power alone. Loma’s skills and talent are on the next level, and fighters want to learn from him.
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