The Ukrainian has not stepped into the ring since he won the red-and-gold belt last May, stopping George Kambosos Jr. in the eleventh round. Subsequently, his team negotiated with Gervonta Davis about holding a unification fight in the 135-pound weight class, but later ended those talks to take a lengthy break.
During the time spent outside of boxing, Lomachenko decided that it was better for him at this stage to retire from professional sports. As a result, temporary IBF title holder Muratalla was elevated to full champion status.
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Lomachenko announced his retirement