Lomachenko Eyes November Return at 130lbs After 2024 Retirement

Vasiliy Lomachenko is coming back, and now we know roughly when and at what weight. The 38-year-old Ukrainian told Brian Custer he plans to return in November at 130lbs — the super-featherweight division where he first became a world champion. That's a clear signal after months of speculation following his 2024 retirement.

Lomachenko walked away at the top, capping an 18-3 (12 KO) pro run with an 11th-round stoppage of George Kambosos Jr. to grab the IBF lightweight belt. Add two Olympic golds and titles across three divisions, and the résumé speaks for itself. But at 38, with over a year out of the ring, he's picking a comeback lane that isn't the deep end just yet.

Why Now

Timing matters here. Lomachenko's promotional deal with Top Rank expired earlier this year, leaving him free to shop around. If he sticks with Bob Arum's outfit, the obvious carrot is the winner of Emanuel Navarrete versus O'Shaquie Foster — a super-featherweight unification bout landing October 24.

Navarrete brings the heavier hardware and the heavier hands, sitting at 40-2-1 (33 KO) as IBF and WBO champion off a TKO of Eduardo Núñez. Foster, the WBC titleholder, has already floated the idea of sharing a ring with 'The Matrix.' Either name would be a legitimate, marquee return for Lomachenko without throwing him straight into a coin-flip.

The Traffic Jam at 130

There's a queue, though. Charly Suarez, the WBO's mandatory challenger, is undefeated at 19-0 (11 KO) and coming off a first-round demolition of Manuel Ávila. He and other mandatories will be expecting their cracks at those three world titles, and a returning legend jumping the line rarely goes down quietly.

One name notably absent from this super-featherweight picture: Devin Haney, the man who handed Lomachenko a unanimous-decision loss before the Kambosos win. Haney has since climbed to welterweight and holds the WBO belt there at 33-0 (15 KO). Whatever Lomachenko does next, he's rebuilding two weight classes below his old rival — and starting with a division that still remembers him fondly.