Vasiliy Lomachenko Has Dislocated Knuckle In Right Hand, Does Not Need Surgery

Vasiliy Lomachenko’s injured right hand isn’t as damaged as initially feared.

Egis Klimas, Lomachenko’s manager, told ESPN the severity of the injury Lomachenko suffered in his most recent world title defense on April 12. Initially fearing that Lomachenko’s hand was broken, it turned out that only a knuckle was dislocated and that he will not need to undergo surgery. Klimas said Lomachenko’s knuckle was put back in place and that he will only need to be in a cast for three weeks.

This is very good news for Lomachenko as he is expected to be back in the ring in September although there is still no word on who his next opponent will be. 

Lomachenko successfully retained his WBA and WBO lightweight titles with a fourth-round knockout victory over mandatory challenger Anthony Crolla. The injury occurred when Lomachenko landed a heavy right hand to knock out Crolla less than a minute into the round. The fight, which was Lomachenko’s third in the 135-pound division, headlined a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

This is the second injury Lomachenko suffered in his past three fights. Lomachenko suffered a torn right labrum in May 2018 during his fight against Jorge Linares. Lomachenko still managed to knock out Linares in the 10th round of their fight to win the WBA lightweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lomachenko had to undergo surgery after that fight and returned to the ring last December when he unified the WBA and WBO titles with a 12-round decision against Jose Pedraza.