Vasyl Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla put on hold by WBA as governing body allow Richard Commey unification
The 30-year-old has been sanctioned to have one more bout before facing the Brit
Vasyl Lomachenko has been granted permission to unify belts against Richard Commey next, rather than face mandatory Anthony Crolla.
The Ukrainian currently holds the WBA and WBO lightweight world titles while his Ghanaian opponent recently won the IBF crown.
British challenger Crolla had been ordered to face Lomachenko as the champion’s next defence, however he's since applied for an exception to the rule, which has been granted by the WBA.
Promoter Eddie Hearn explained to : “The official ruling was made yesterday by the WBA.
“They’ll allow the Commey fight as long as it happens in April.”
Lomachenko’s next fight is already pencilled in for April 12 at The Forum in Los Angeles, USA, with Richard Commey having signed for the unification in advance.
Whether the bout takes place or not all depends on whether Commey will be fit after suffering a hand injury in his title win over Isa Chaniev on Saturday.
Commey is due for a scan on his hand on Thursday, with Hearn optimistic his man could yet come back into the picture.
The Matchroom boss continued: “I think it’s unlikely [Lomachenko vs Commey in April] and that means he has to fight Crolla.
"I think there’s a great chance that Crolla could fight Lomachenko as early as April.”
As things stand, it’s Lomachenko vs Commey on April 12 in LA, but this could change depending on Commey’s scan - with Crolla waiting to swoop in for his title opportunity.
You can watch the full FightHype interview with Eddie Hearn below.