Vasiliy Lomachenko Returns To Boxing With Targeted Fight In October

Vasiliy Lomachenko is back.

The former unified lightweight champion landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday afternoon after spending months with the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defense Battalion, defending his home country of Ukraine from the Russian invasion.

Lomachenko is expected to be back in the ring against a to-be-determined opponent, but ESPN reported early Wednesday morning that Jamaine Ortiz agreed to a lightweight fight with the Ukrainian.

The bout is reportedly targeted for late October, sources told ESPN.

Lomachenko has not fought since dominating Richard Commey in December at Madison Square Garden. The three-weight champion won the matchup by unanimous decision.

Before fighting in Ukraine’s war, Lomachenko was due to fight then-unified champion George Kambosos Jr. Instead, he chose to stay back, which allowed WBA champion Devin Haney to get a title shot in Australia.

Haney would ultimately come out as the undisputed champion by unanimous decision.

Now, back in the U.S., Lomachenko reportedly arrived to begin training camp in anticipation of getting closer to the chip. Haney and Kambosos are reportedly tied up for their contracted rematch for October 15 in Melbourne, Australia.

In the meantime, Lomachenko is expected to face Ortiz, who last defeated Jamel Herring with a unanimous decision win in May, which untimely led to his opponent – a former champion – to retirement.