Having spent nearly one full year out of the ring while aiding his native land of Ukraine in the ongoing Russian invasion, Vasiliy Lomachenko is excited to make his return to the ring. Officially, the 34-year-old will attempt to re-establish his dominance when he takes on Jamaine Ortiz this Saturday night in Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.

Although Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) fully intends on spoiling his return, Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) saunters into their bout a sizable favorite. If the former two-time Olympic gold medalist proves his supporters right, Bob Arum, his present promoter, will look to place him in the ring against current undisputed lightweight champion, Devin Haney.

Even if Lomachenko usurps the 23-year-old, he’ll be asked to defend his newly won undisputed throne against pugilistic star, Shakur Stevenson. With a bevy of options awaiting him, Lomachenko smiles as he envisions the treacherous road that lies ahead.

In any event, considering the possibility of facing both Haney and Stevenson, Lomachenko, when broached with the question, recently revealed that despite Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) holding every world title at 135-pounds, he views Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) as his toughest matchup.  

“I think the more difficult fight is Shakur Stevenson,” said Lomachenko to BoxingScene.com. “I think he’s more technical.”

Haney, of course, gleefully stepped in for Lomachenko earlier this year, making consecutive trips to Melbourne, Australia, to take on George Kambosos Jr. The end result was a historic one, as Haney would become the youngest fighter in the four-belt era to become an undisputed champion.

Stevenson, on the other hand, after failing to make the 130-pound weight limit for his most recent trip to the ring against Robson Conceicao, brazenly stated that moving forward, he’ll compete in the lightweight division.

Stevenson, much to his delight, openly embraces the possibility of facing Lomachenko in his debut at 135-pounds. However, with Haney holding firm to every major world title in his new weight class, the former Olympic silver medalist divulged that he would much rather square off against Haney for all the marbles. But while the trio of Haney, Lomachenko, and Stevenson all appear to be on a collision course, the former unified champion at 135-pounds is appearing to keep a close and watchful eye on Stevenson.