British Trainer Names Lomachenko’s Biggest Career Mistake

British trainer Shane McGuigan shared what, in his view, Ukrainian three-division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko should have done to have a more successful career.

– Do you think Lomachenko gets enough recognition from the boxing community?

– Absolutely not. I think if he had turned professional after winning gold in Beijing in 2008, he would have become the greatest boxer of all time. But I also think he would have dragged his career on too long, like what happened with Roy Jones Jr. Obviously, businessmen like Mayweather never allowed themselves to fall, but there were phenomenal fighters like James Toney, Roy Jones Jr., and Sugar Ray Leonard who went on too long, and it slightly damaged their legacies.

Because Lomachenko started his pro career so late, he tried to speed up the process and ran into an early loss (to Orlando Salido). Then he suffered a few defeats late in his career that shouldn’t have been there at all. I believe he beat Haney, but even so, those losses shouldn’t be on his record, because if he had been anywhere near his peak, he would have destroyed those opponents, said McGuigan.

In June 2025, Vasiliy Lomachenko announced his retirement from boxing.

Photo: USA Today