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IBF lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko has been granted a medical exemption by the sanctioning body to retain his title.
IBF decision
Meanwhile, the IBF has ordered #2 Raymond Muratala and #4 Zaur Abdulaev to fight for the interim 135 lb belt. Lomachencheko (18-3, 12 KOs) must defend his IBF title against the winner of Muratala-Abdulayev by October 8 to retain the belt.
It’s a tough decision Lomachenko, 36, has to make as he needs his IBF title to help his negotiating position in a unification fight against WBA champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
However, Loma doesn’t have the money to fight the winner of the Muratalev vs Abdulaev fight as neither is well known to casual boxing fans. Moreover, it would be a brutal fight for Lomachenko if Muratala (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 he can fight Tank, that would be one way to fight Muratala-Abdulaev.
Abdulaev (20-1, 12 KOs) has won his last nine fights since suffering his only career loss, a fourth-round stoppage loss to Devin Haney on September 13, 2019. Haney landed a perfect knockout punch in that fight. Had they fought in a rematch, Abdulaev would probably have beaten Hani because he was doing well before he was stopped.
