Vasiliy Lomachenko, who last fought in December 2021, returned to Ukraine to take up arms following Russia's invasion; watch George Kambosos Jr vs Devin Haney for the undisputed world lightweight championship live on Sky Sports Main Event and Action from 2am on Sunday
Thursday 2 June 2022 11:05, UK
Vasiliy Lomachenko faces a big decision over whether to return to the ring and face the winner of the undisputed lightweight showdown between George Kambosos Jr and Devin Haney, says Todd DuBoef.
Top Rank president DuBoef told Sky Sports that Lomachenko is back in training in Ukraine, having returned home earlier this year to take up arms alongside Oleksandr Usyk and the Klitschko brothers to defend their country amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
The two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist declined the chance to face Kambosos Jr earlier this year due to the war and DuBoef plans to speak with the 34-year-old following Sunday morning's fight in Melbourne between WBA Super, WBO and IBF champion Kambosos Jr and WBC title holder Haney.
"We have only spoken to his advisor who has told us that he has been training in Ukraine quite a bit," said DuBoef. "This is a real personal thing so there is nothing we can do.
"We offered him the Kambosos fight and he said, 'I'm passing, I want to stay and support my country'. We all respected that and Haney ended up with that.
"He is going to have to figure out in his own head and with his family and his country where he wants to be come Saturday night when there is a winner determined, whether he wants to be back in the sweepstakes for his profession or does he want to stay country-side with all the civilians there, protecting them and being as helpful as possible.
"I think because of the sensitivity of the subject matter, it is a personal thing, it is neither you or I or what we believe in.
"It is really about what Vasiliy believes in and when he has made that determinant that 'I am at peace with my decision'. And as we all know, it is he who gets in the ring, not us.
"Obviously we want him mentally in the greatest shape he can be in and physically, so I think he has to be at peace with the decision that he makes.
"He has to make that. We can only give you opportunities."
Kambosos Jr and Haney have been embroiled in some heated exchanges ahead of their undisputed bout, live on Sky Sports.
Kambosos Jr (20-0) claimed the WBA Super, WBO and IBF world lightweight belts with a split-decision win over the previously undefeated Teofimo Lopez in an epic showdown in New York last November, and now returns to box in his homeland for the first time in five years against the unbeaten Haney (27-0).
"It has got a real big feel about it," said DuBoef. "It is Melbourne, it is the Marvel Stadium, it is everything big about having a homecoming with somebody who is the unified champion and then bringing in one of the top, top fighters to unify them all with the WBC title.
"I think it is one of those perfect ingredients that comes together to make a Down Under pot, a stew that should be terrific television for all of us and an incredible match.
"I think we are really seeing a big run of these unifications of titles and this is just perpetuating that.
"The best are wanting to fight the best. We are seeing that the fighters and the managers are really going for their legacy and they are putting a lot of the sparring and the jabbing and social posts aside. They are just going forward and just making matches.
"It is going to be an amazing, amazing bout. This division between 130lbs and 140lbs, there is just so much going on, with Josh Taylor being unified at 140, with Shakur (Stevenson) at 130 and all of them in between from Loma to Haney to Kambosos to Teo, there is just so much magic that can happen there."
