Vasyl Lomachenko’s shoulder operation update

Soon after his tough fight versus Teofimo Lopez this photo appeared on Vasyl Lomachenko’s Facebook page with the announcement he had undergone surgery on his right shoulder. Almost immediately there were quite a few queries: “Did the shoulder injury come from his World Title loss on Saturday night, October 17, 2020 to Teofimo Lopez or was this shoulder surgery planned well in advance due to an injury in 2018. Also, someone was trying to put the pieces together and came up with the date that this photo was taken. They swore this photo had been taken back in 2018 and how was it possible that Lomachenko had secured his treatment so quickly when most hospitals have been back dating most of their elective surgeries.

Then word came that Lomachenko had already suffered a shoulder injury back on May 12, 2018, when he stopped former Venezuelan champion Jorge Linares in the 10th round of their 12 round Title Bout at Madison Square Garden in New York and then went on to face numerous standouts such as super lightweight Jose Pedraza (25-1, 12 KOs) in December of that same year and then came his fourth round knock out of Anthony Crolla (34-6-3) in the April, 2019 fight, and finally Lomachenko defeated Luke Campbell in a tough 12 round bout on August 31, 2019 before taking on the Saturday meeting with Teofimo Lopez on October 17, 2020.  

Plus, there is now no sign of that original photo which appeared on his Facebook page. It’s been taken down and replaced by the new photo.

So what are we to believe? It’s likely the former World Lightweight Champion Vasily Lomachenko boxed in this unification bout with Teofimo Lopez with a preexisting shoulder injury, and the former champion categorically refused to cancel the fight despite the opinion of his father and coach Anatoly Lomachenko as stated by his manager/spokesperson Aegis Klimas. After their fight on Saturday, October 17, in which Vasyl lost to Teofimo Lopez, Vasily finally agreed to have the surgery done by the famous orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The same doctor who they reported had already seen and examined Vasily after an injury back in 2018.

When Vasyl Lomachenko originally returned to the U.S. to continue his preparations for this fight with Teofimo Lopez, it was said that at home he felt this pain in his right shoulder,” that remark was made by Klimas to ESPN, noting that the MRI did not show a serious joint injury. “We immediately sent him to Dr. Neal ElAttrache, MD for a consultation.”

“Then, six weeks before the October 17th fight, Vasyl Lomachenko was given an injection, which we then notified both VADA and the Nevada Athletic Commission.

“We missed one week of training, one week of sparring because the doctor had banned him from doing any physical activities the week after that injection.

“A couple weeks later, the pain escalated during sparring, and Lomachenko had another injection, and both his father and coach Anatoly tried to talk him into giving up the fight. However, Vasily himself stated that he did not intend to refuse, and made it very clear to his team that if he refused, he would end his career (retire).”

Although news of the injury appeared almost immediately after the defeat on October 17, there were no statements about it from the Ukrainian team, and once again according to his manager Klimas, “they did not want it to look like an excuse.”

Mr. Klimas, Vasyl Lomachenko’s manager goes on to state: “After his recovery, Lomachenko now wants to hold a rematch with Lopez and regain the lightweight titles. If it is possible, we would like to hold a rematch. If they’re so cool, we’ll see if they want to do it again.”

“Back in the summer of 2018, it was said they felt it wasn’t necessary to perform the surgery, and now with the availability of Sports Medicine Doctor Neal ElAttrache taking charge of Lomachenko’s medical needs, they’re hoping Lomachenko can now make a full recovery by following the highly thought of Doctor ElAttrache’s rehabilitation protocol and lesson any discomfort in that shoulder area.” All of the above was derived from a translation of the boxer’s comments on his Facebook Page.

So, who have they put all their trust in? Dr. Neal ElAttrache, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and co-chair of medical affairs at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. As an expert in sports medicine, he serves as team physician for the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and serves as a consultant to the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Clippers, LA Kings, and Anaheim Ducks. He’s also served as on-site senior surgeon during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Over the course of his 34-year career, he has operated on numerous professional athletes to include quarterback Tom Brady. Enough said! After earning his medical degree from and completing his residency at University of Pittsburgh, he underwent sports medicine fellowship training at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic. In other words, the Lomachenko group chose a physician of impeccable skills.