IBF lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko has been given a medical exception by the sanctioning body for him to retain his title.
The decision of the IBF
Meanwhile, the IBF ordered no. 2 Raymond Muratalla and n. 4 Zaur Abdullaev for the battle for the interim belt of 135 lb. Lomachencheko (18-3, 12 KOs) must defend his IBF title against the Muratalla-Abdullaev winner on October 8 to retain his belt.
It’s a tough decision Lomachenko, 36, has to make because he needs his IBF title to help his negotiating position for a unification fight against WBA champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
However, there is no money for Loma to fight the winner of the Muratallev vs. Abdullaev fight because neither of them is known to casual boxing fans. Plus, it would be a brutal fight for Lomachenko if Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) is the one he ends up facing. That guy can punch and is one of the most dangerous lightweights in the division.
If the IBF allows Lomachenko to bypass the winner so that he can fight Tank, that would be a way around having to fight the fight Muratalla-Abdullaev.
Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) has won his last nine fights since suffering his only career loss, losing to Devin Haney by fourth-round stoppage on September 13, 2019. Haney landed the knockout perfect for getting the knockout in that fight. . If they had fought a rematch, Abdullaev probably would have beaten Haney because he was doing well before he was arrested.
