Vasiliy Lomachenko has announced his retirement at the age of 37.
The Ukrainian, by all estimations a modern great and by numerous others among the greatest of all time, does so as a three-weight world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist whose reported amateur record was 396-1.
He fought, for potentially the final time, in May 2024 when he stopped Australia’s George Kambosos Jnr to move to 18-3 (12 KOs) and to win the vacant IBF lightweight title.
“I’m grateful for every victory and defeat inside the ring and outside the ring,” he said on social media. “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.
“I thank God for my honest and wonderful and kind parents for their care, love and warmth I’ve felt throughout my life. My father [Anatoly] taught me not only boxing, but how to be a role model for my own children.
“I’ve made many mistakes in life and in the gym but he was always by my side, correcting me when needed. I have many warm memories.
“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 won titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight after turning professional in 2013, following his winning gold medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
His first professional title, at featherweight, came via a majority decision victory over Gary Russell Jnr in 2014, and in only his third fight. His first at junior lightweight came when he stopped Roman Martinez in 2016, and in 2018 he stopped Jorge Linares to become a champion at lightweight.
Two of three of his defeats – the first against Orlando Salido and the third by Devin Haney – were particularly controversial. He fought Salido in only his second contest, and lost a fight for a version of the featherweight title via split decision after the overweight Salido produced a foul-filled performance. The defeat by Haney came via unanimous decision in 2023, but on an evening when countless observers believed Lomachenko deserved victory. He also lost via unanimous decision to Teofimo Lopez, in 2020.