The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has boxers raring to get into the ring. Vasiliy Lomachenko is one of them.
The unified WBA/WBO world lightweight champion was set to clash with IBF titleholder Teofimo Lopez Jr. on May 30, only for the COVID-19 outbreak to push it back indefinitely. That has the 32-year-old Lomachenko yearning for the coronavirus to subside so that he could attempt to add another piece of hardware and get one step closer to becoming an undisputed champion.
"He’s a top fighter," Lomachenko recently told Top Rank's Crystina Poncher about Lopez. "He’s young, he’s hungry, he has big power, and I want this fight. He’s a world champion, and he holds my belt. It’s (the) IBF title.”
Lomachenko has heard chatter about the unification bout ending in a knockout when it eventually comes to fruition, but he isn't quite sure about that prediction.
“Nobody knows," he said. "It’s very unpredictable. Nobody can predict what is going to happen, how it’s going to happen. And the people are talking about which round they are going to knock somebody out or stop somebody. I am getting very, very interested. Now, I want to see (the fight).”
He then tacked on the following warning: “The interesting thing for me, it will be to look into his eyes and his father’s eyes and see their reaction (after the fight).”
Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) last fought in August, scoring a unanimous decision over Luke Campbell. The 22-year-old Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) produced a second-round TKO of Richard Commey to become the IBF champion in December.
While he waits to get Lopez in the ring, Lomachenko — like many around the world — returns to quarantining from the coronavirus.
“The situation as of this moment is from Monday, there will be very limited time to go outside," Loma said about the current state in his native Ukraine. "You will have to be in your house. You can’t gather more than two or three people. The situation is like you can only take your dog out for a walk or go out for something very serious. Other than that, you have to sit at home. You can’t even walk with your kids outside. Everyone will be on lockdown. This will go on until April 24 starting on Monday.”