title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A number of methods can be used to assess the affects and severity of COPD. The MRC breathlessness scale or the COPD assessment test (CAT) are simple questionnaires that may be used. GOLD refers to a modified MRC scale that if used, needs to include other tests since it is simply a test of breathlessness experienced. Scores on CAT range from 0–40 with the higher the score, the more severe the disease. Spirometry may help to determine the severity of airflow limitation. This is typically based on the FEV1 expressed as a percentage of the predicted "normal" for the person's age, gender, height and weight. Both the American and European guidelines recommend partly basing treatment recommendations on the FEV1. The GOLD guidelines group people into four categories based on symptoms assessment, degree of airflow limitation and history of exacerbations. Weight loss, muscle loss and fatigue are seen in severe and very severe cases.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Use of COPD Diagnostic Questionnaire alone or in combination with hand-held flow meters is appropriate for screening of COPD in primary care.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A chest X-ray is not useful to establish a diagnosis of COPD but it is of use in either excluding other conditions or including comorbidities such as pulmonary fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Characteristic signs of COPD on X-ray include hyperinflation (shown by a flattened diaphragm and an increased retrosternal air space) and lung hyperlucency. A saber-sheath trachea may also be shown that is indicative of COPD.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A CT scan is not routinely used except for the exclusion of bronchiectasis. An analysis of arterial blood is used to determine the need for oxygen supplementation and assess for high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood; this is recommended in those with an FEV1 less than 35% predicted, those with a peripheral oxygen saturation less than 92% and those with symptoms of congestive heart failure. WHO recommends that all those diagnosed with COPD be screened for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: COPD may need to be differentiated from other conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, obliterative bronchiolitis and diffuse panbronchiolitis. The distinction between asthma and COPD is made on the basis of the symptoms, smoking history and whether airflow limitation is reversible with bronchodilators at spirometry. Chronic bronchitis with normal airflow is not classified as COPD.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Most cases of COPD are potentially preventable through decreasing exposure to tobacco smoke and other indoor and outdoor pollutants.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The policies of governments, public health agencies and antismoking organizations can reduce smoking rates by discouraging people from starting and encouraging people to stop smoking. Smoking bans in public areas and places of work are important measures to decrease exposure to secondhand smoke and while many places have instituted bans, more are recommended.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In those who smoke, stopping smoking is the only measure shown to slow down the worsening of COPD. Even at a late stage of the disease, it can reduce the rate of worsening lung function and delay the onset of disability and death. Often, several attempts are required before long-term abstinence is achieved. Attempts over 5 years lead to success in nearly 40% of people.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Some smokers can achieve long-term smoking cessation through willpower alone. Smoking, however, is highly addictive and many smokers need further support. The chance of quitting is improved with social support, engagement in a smoking cessation program and the use of medications such as nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, or varenicline. Combining smoking-cessation medication with behavioral therapy is more than twice as likely to be effective in helping people with COPD stop smoking, compared with behavioral therapy alone.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A number of measures have been taken to reduce the likelihood that workers in at-risk industries—such as coal mining, construction and stonemasonry—will develop COPD. Examples of these measures include the creation of public policy, education of workers and management about the risks, promoting smoking cessation, checking workers for early signs of COPD, use of respirators and dust control. Effective dust control can be achieved by improving ventilation, using water sprays and by using mining techniques that minimize dust generation. If a worker develops COPD, further lung damage can be reduced by avoiding ongoing dust exposure, for example by changing their work role.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Both indoor and outdoor air quality can be improved, which may prevent COPD or slow the worsening of existing disease. This may be achieved by public policy efforts, cultural changes and personal involvement. Many developed countries have successfully improved outdoor air quality through regulations which has resulted in improvements in the lung function of their populations. Individuals are also advised to avoid irritants of indoor and outdoor pollution.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In developing countries one key effort is to reduce exposure to smoke from cooking and heating fuels through improved ventilation of homes and better stoves and chimneys. Proper stoves may improve indoor air quality by 85%. Using alternative energy sources such as solar cooking and electrical heating is also effective. Using fuels such as kerosene or coal might produce less household particulate matter than traditional biomass such as wood or dung, but whether this is better health wise is unclear.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: COPD is not curable, but the symptoms are treatable and its progression can be delayed, particularly by stopping smoking. The major goals of management are to reduce exposure to risk factors including offering non-pharmacological treatments such as help with stopping smoking. Stopping smoking can reduce the rate of lung function decline and also reduce mortality from smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Other recommendations include annual influenza vaccinations and pneumococcal vaccination to help reduce the risk of exacerbations; giving advice as to healthy eating and encouraging physical exercise. Guidance is also advised as to managing breathlessness and stress.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Other illnesses are also managed. An action plan is drawn up and is to be reviewed. Providing people with a personalized action plan, an educational session and support for use of their action plan in the event of an exacerbation, reduces the number of hospital visits and encourages early treatment of exacerbations. When self-management interventions, such as taking corticosteroids and using supplemental oxygen, is combined with action plans, health-related quality of life is improved compared to usual care. In those with COPD who are malnourished, supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and selenium can improve weight, strength of respiratory muscles and health-related quality of life. Significant vitamin D deficiency is common in those with COPD and can cause increased exacerbations. Supplementation when deficient can give a 50% reduction in the number of exacerbations.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A number of medical treatments are used in the management of stable COPD and exacerbations. These include bronchodilators, corticosteroids and antibiotics.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In those with a severe exacerbation, antibiotics improve outcomes. A number of different antibiotics may be used including amoxicillin, doxycycline and azithromycin; whether one is better than the others is unclear. There is no clear evidence of improved outcomes for those with less severe cases. The FDA recommends against the use of fluoroquinolones when other options are available due to higher risks of serious side effects.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In treating acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (acutely raised levels of carbon dioxide), bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) can decrease mortality and the need of intensive care. Fewer than 20% of exacerbations require hospital admission. In those without acidosis from respiratory failure, home care may be able to help avoid some admissions.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In those with end-stage disease, palliative care is focused on relieving symptoms. Morphine can improve exercise tolerance. Non-invasive ventilation may be used to support breathing and also reduce daytime breathlessness.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Inhaled short-acting bronchodilators are the primary medications used on an as needed basis; their use on a regular basis is not recommended. The two major types are beta2-adrenergic agonists and anticholinergics; either in long-acting or short-acting forms. Beta2–adrenergic agonists target receptors in the smooth muscle cells in bronchioles causing them to relax and allow improved airflow. They reduce shortness of breath, tend to reduce dynamic hyperinflation and improve exercise tolerance. Short-acting bronchodilators have an effect for four hours and for maintenance therapy long acting bronchodilators with an effect of over twelve hours are used. In times of more severe symptoms a short acting agent may be used in combination. An inhaled corticosteroid used with a long-acting beta-2 agonist is more effective than either one on its own.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Which type of long-acting agent, long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) such as tiotropium or a long-acting beta agonist (LABA) is better is unclear and trying each and continuing with the one that works best may be advisable. Both types of agent appear to reduce the risk of acute exacerbations by 15–25%. The combination of LABA/LAMA may reduce COPD exacerbations and improve quality-of-life compared to long-acting bronchodilators alone. The 2018 NICE guideline recommends use of dual long-acting bronchodilators with economic modelling suggesting that this approach is preferable to starting one long acting bronchodilator and adding another later.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Several short-acting β agonists are available, including salbutamol (albuterol) and terbutaline. They provide some relief of symptoms for four to six hours. LABAs such as salmeterol, formoterol and indacaterol are often used as maintenance therapy. Some feel the evidence of benefits is limited, while others view the evidence of benefit as established. Long-term use appears safe in COPD with adverse effects include shakiness and heart palpitations. When used with inhaled steroids they increase the risk of pneumonia. While steroids and LABAs may work better together, it is unclear if this slight benefit outweighs the increased risks. There is some evidence that combined treatment of LABAs with long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), an anticholinergic, may result in less exacerbations, less pneumonia, an improvement in forced expiratory volume (FEV1%) and potential improvements in quality of life when compared to treatment with LABA and an inhaled corticosteriod (ICS). All three together, LABA, LAMA and ICS, have some evidence of benefits. Indacaterol requires an inhaled dose once a day and is as effective as the other long-acting β agonist drugs that require twice-daily dosing for people with stable COPD.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The two main anticholinergics used in COPD are ipratropium and tiotropium. Ipratropium is a short-acting muscarinic antagonist (SAMA), while tiotropium is long-acting. Tiotropium is associated with a decrease in exacerbations and improved quality of life, and tiotropium provides those benefits better than ipratropium. It does not appear to affect mortality or the overall hospitalization rate. Anticholinergics can cause dry mouth and urinary tract symptoms. They are also associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Aclidinium, another long-acting agent, reduces hospitalizations associated with COPD and improves quality of life. The LAMA umeclidinium bromide is another anticholinergic alternative. When compared to tiotropium, the LAMAs aclidinium, glycopyrronium and umeclidinium appear to have a similar level of efficacy; with all four being more effective than placebo. Further research is needed comparing aclidinium to tiotropium.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Inhaled corticosteroids are anti-inflammatories that are recommended by GOLD as a first-line maintenance treatment in COPD cases with repeated exacerbations. Their regular use increases the risk of pneumonia in severe cases. Studies have shown that the risk of pneumonia is associated with all types of corticosteroids; is related to the disease severity and a dose-response relationship has been noted. Oral glucocorticoids can be effective in treating an acute exacerbation. They appear to have fewer side effects than those given intravenously. Five days of steroids work as well as ten or fourteen days.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The use of corticosteroids is associated with a decrease in the number of lymphoid follicles (in the bronchial lymphoid tissue). A triple inhaled therapy of LABA/LAMA/ICS improves lung function, reduces symptoms and exacerbations and is seen to be more effective than mono or dual therapies. NICE guidelines recommend the use of ICSs in people with asthmatic features or features suggesting steroid responsiveness.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors (PDE4 inhibitors) are anti-inflammatories that improve lung function and reduce exacerbations in moderate to severe illness. Roflumilast is a PDE4 inhibitor used orally once daily to reduce inflammation, it has no direct bronchodilatory effects. It is essentially used in treating those with chronic bronchitis along with systemic corticosteroids. Reported adverse effects of roflumilast appear early in treatment, become less with continued treatment and are reversible. One effect is dramatic weight loss and its use is to be avoided in underweight people. It is also advised to be used with caution in those who have depression.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Long-term preventive use of antibiotics, specifically those from the macrolide class such as erythromycin, reduce the frequency of exacerbations in those who have two or more a year. This practice may be cost effective in some areas of the world. Concerns include the potential for antibiotic resistance and side effects including hearing loss, tinnitus and changes to the heart rhythm known as long QT syndrome.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Methylxanthines such as theophylline are widely used. Theophylline is seen to have a mild bronchodilatory effect in stable COPD. Inspiratory muscle function is seen to be improved but the causal effect is unclear. Theophylline is seen to improve breathlessness when used as an add-on to salmeterol. All instances of improvement have been reported using sustained release preparations. Methylxanthines are not recommended for use in exacerbations due to adverse effects.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Mucolytics may help to reduce exacerbations in some people with chronic bronchitis; noticed by less hospitalization and less days of disability in one month. Erdosteine is recommended by NICE. GOLD also supports the use of some mucolytics that are advised against when inhaled corticosteroids are being used and singles out erdosteine as having good effects regardless of corticosteroid use. Erdosteine also has antioxidant properties but there is not enough evidence to support the general use of antioxidants. Erdosteine has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of exacerbations, shorten their duration and hospital stays.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Cough medicines are not recommended. Beta blockers are not contraindicated for those with COPD and should only be used where there is concomitant cardiovascular disease.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Recent studies show that metformin plays a role in reducing systemic inflammation by reducing biomarker levels that are increased during COPD exacerbations.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Supplemental oxygen is recommended for those with low oxygen levels in respiratory failure at rest (a partial pressure of oxygen less than 50–55 mmHg or oxygen saturations of less than 88%). When taking into account complications including cor pulmonale and pulmonary hypertension, the levels involved are 56–59 mmHg. Oxygen therapy is to be used for between 15 and 18 hours per day and is said to decrease the risk of heart failure and death. In those with normal or mildly low oxygen levels, oxygen supplementation (ambulatory) may improve shortness of breath when given during exercise, but may not improve breathlessness during normal daily activities or affect the quality of life. During acute exacerbations, many require oxygen therapy; the use of high concentrations of oxygen without taking into account a person's oxygen saturations may lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide and worsened outcomes. In those at high risk of high carbon dioxide levels, oxygen saturations of 88–92% are recommended, while for those without this risk, recommended levels are 94–98%.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Pulmonary rehabilitation is a program of exercise, disease management and counseling, coordinated to benefit the individual. A severe exacerbertion leads to hospital admission, high mortality and a decline in the ability to carry out daily activities. Following a hospital admission pulmonary rehabilitation has been shown to significantly reduce future hospital admissions, mortality and improve quality of life.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The optimal exercise routine, use of noninvasive ventilation during exercise and intensity of exercise suggested for people with COPD, is unknown. Performing endurance arm exercises improves arm movement for people with COPD and may result in a small improvement in breathlessness. Performing arm exercises alone does not appear to improve quality of life. Pursed-lip breathing exercises may be useful. "Tai chi" exercises appear to be safe to practice for people with COPD and may be beneficial for pulmonary function and pulmonary capacity when compared to a regular treatment program. Tai Chi was not found to be more effective than other exercise intervention programs. Inspiratory and expiratory muscle training (IMT, EMT) is an effective method for improving activities of daily living (ADL). A combination of IMT and walking exercises at home may help limit breathlessness in cases of severe COPD. Additionally, the use of low amplitude high velocity joint mobilization together with exercise improves lung function and exercise capacity. The goal of spinal manipulation therapy is to improve thoracic mobility in an effort to reduce the work on the lungs during respiration, however, the evidence supporting manual therapy for people with COPD is very weak.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Airway clearance techniques (ACTs), such as postural drainage, percussion/vibration, autogenic drainage, hand-held positive expiratory pressure (PEP) devices and other mechanical devices, may reduce the need for increased ventilatory assistance, the duration of ventilatory assistance and the length of hospital stay in people with acute COPD. In people with stable COPD, ACTs may lead to short-term improvements in health-related quality of life and a reduced long-term need for hospitalisations related to respiratory issues.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Being either underweight or overweight can affect the symptoms, degree of disability and prognosis of COPD. People with COPD who are underweight can improve their breathing muscle strength by increasing their calorie intake. When combined with regular exercise or a pulmonary rehabilitation program, this can lead to improvements in COPD symptoms. Supplemental nutrition may be useful in those who are malnourished.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: People with COPD can experience exacerbations (flare-ups) that are commonly caused by respiratory tract infections. The symptoms that worsen are not specific to COPD and differential diagnoses need to be considered. Acute exacerbations are typically treated by increasing the use of short-acting bronchodilators including a combination of a short-acting inhaled beta agonist and short-acting anticholinergic. These medications can be given either via a metered-dose inhaler with a spacer or via a nebulizer, with both appearing to be equally effective. Nebulization may be easier for those who are more unwell. Oxygen supplementation can be useful. Excessive oxygen; however, can result in increased levels and a decreased level of consciousness. Corticosteroids given orally can improve lung function and shorten hospital stays but their use is recommended for only five to seven days; longer courses increase the risk of pneumonia and death.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Maintaining room temperatures of at least 21 °C [70 °F] for a minimum of nine hours a day was associated with better health in those with COPD, especially for smokers. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends indoor temperatures of a slightly higher range between 18 °C and 24 °C [65 °F and 75 °F].


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: For people with COPD, the ideal indoor humidity levels are 30-50% RH. Maintaining indoor humidity can be difficult in the winter, especially in cold climates where the heating system is constantly running.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Keeping the indoor relative humidity above 40% RH significantly reduces the infectivity of aerosolized viruses.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: There are a number of procedures to reduce the volume of a lung in cases of severe emphysema with hyperinflation.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: For severe emphysema that has proved unresponsive to other therapies lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) may be an option. LVRS involves the removal of damaged tissue, which improves lung function by allowing the rest of the lungs to expand. It is considered when the emphysema is in the upper lobes and when there are no comorbidities.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Minimally invasive bronchoscopic procedures may be carried out to reduce lung volume. These include the use of valves, coils, or thermal ablation. Endobronchial valves are one-way valves that may be used in those with severe hyperinflation resulting from advanced emphysema; a suitable target lobe and no collateral ventilation are required for this procedure. The placement of one or more valves in the lobe induces a partial collapse of the lobe that ensures a reduction in residual volume that improves lung function, the capacity for exercise and quality of life.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The placement of nitinol coils instead of valves is recommended where there is collateral ventilation that would prevent the use of valves. Nitinol is a biocompatible alloy.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Both of these techniques are associated with adverse effects including persistent air leaks and cardiovascular complications. Thermal vapor ablation has an improved profile. Heated water vapor is used to target lobe regions which leads to permanent fibrosis and volume reduction. The procedure is able to target individual lobe segments, can be carried out regardless of collateral ventilation and can be repeated with the natural advance of emphysema.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In very severe cases lung transplantation might be considered. A CT scan may be useful in surgery considerations. Ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy is another imaging method that may be used to evaluate cases for surgical interventions and also to evaluate post-surgery responses. A bullectomy may be carried out when a giant bulla occupies more than a third of a hemithorax.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: COPD is progressive and can lead to premature death. It is estimated that 3% of all disability is related to COPD. The proportion of disability from COPD globally has decreased from 1990 to 2010 due to improved indoor air quality primarily in Asia. The overall number of years lived with disability from COPD, however, has increased.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: There are many variables affecting the long-term outcome in COPD and GOLD recommends the use of a composite test (BODE) that includes the main variables of body-mass index, obstruction of airways, dyspnea (breathlessness) and exercise and not just spirometry results.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: NICE recommends against the use of BODE for the prognosis assessment in stable COPD; factors such as exacerbations and frailty need to be considered. Other factors that contribute to a poor outcome include older age, comorbidities such as lung cancer and cardiovascular disease and the number and severity of exacerbations needing hospital admittance.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Estimates of prevalence have considerable variation due to differences in analytical and surveying approach and the choice of diagnostic criteria. An estimated 384 million people had COPD in 2010, corresponding to a global prevalence of 12%. The disease affects men and women. The increase in the developing world between 1970 and the 2000s is believed to be related to increasing rates of smoking in this region, an increasing population and an aging population due to fewer deaths from other causes such as infectious diseases. Some developed countries have seen increased rates, some have remained stable and some have seen a decrease in COPD prevalence.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Around three million people die of COPD each year. In some countries, mortality has decreased in men but increased in women. This is most likely due to rates of smoking in women and men becoming more similar. A higher rate of COPD is found in those over 40 years and this increases greatly with advancing age with the highest rate found in those over 60 years. Sex differences in the anatomy of the respiratory system include smaller airway lumens and thicker airway walls in women, which contribute to a greater severity of COPD symptoms like dyspnea and frequency of COPD exacerbation.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In the UK three million people are reported to be affected by COPDtwo million of these being undiagnosed. On average the number of COPD-related deaths between 2007 and 2016 was 28,600. The estimated number of deaths due to occupational exposure was estimated to be about 15% at around 4,000. In the United States in 2018 almost 15.7 million people had been diagnosed with COPD and it is estimated that millions more have not been diagnosed.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: In 2011, there were approximately 730,000 hospitalizations in the United States for COPD. Globally COPD in 2019 was the third leading cause of death. In low-income countries COPD does not appear in the top 10 causes of death; in other income groups it is in the top 5.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The name "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" is believed to have first been used in 1965. Previously it has been known by a number of different names, including "chronic obstructive bronchopulmonary disease", "chronic airflow obstruction", "chronic obstructive lung disease", "nonspecific chronic pulmonary disease", "diffuse obstructive pulmonary syndrome".


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The terms "emphysema" and "chronic bronchitis" were formally defined as components of COPD in 1959 at the CIBA guest symposium and in 1962 at the American Thoracic Society Committee meeting on Diagnostic Standards.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Early descriptions of probable emphysema began in 1679 by T. Bonet of a condition of "voluminous lungs" and in 1769 by Giovanni Morgagni of lungs which were "turgid particularly from air". In 1721 the first drawings of emphysema were made by Ruysh. René Laennec, used the term "emphysema" in his book "A Treatise on the Diseases of the Chest and of Mediate Auscultation" (1837) to describe lungs that did not collapse when he opened the chest during an autopsy. He noted that they did not collapse as usual because they were full of air and the airways were filled with mucus. In 1842, John Hutchinson invented the spirometer, which allowed the measurement of vital capacity of the lungs. However, his spirometer could only measure volume, not airflow. Tiffeneau and Pinelli in 1947 described the principles of measuring airflow.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Air pollution and the increase in cigarette smoking in Great Britain at the start of the 20th century led to high rates of chronic lung disease, though it received little attention until the Great Smog of London in December 1952. This spurred epidemiological research in the United Kingdom, Holland and elsewhere. In 1953, Dr. George L. Waldbott, an American allergist, first described a new disease he named "smoker's respiratory syndrome" in the 1953 "Journal of the American Medical Association". This was the first association between tobacco smoking and chronic respiratory disease.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Modern treatments were developed during the second half of the 20th century. Evidence supporting the use of steroids in COPD was published in the late 1950s. Bronchodilators came into use in the 1960s following a promising trial of isoprenaline. Further bronchodilators, such as short-acting salbutamol, were developed in the 1970s and the use of long-acting bronchodilators began in the mid-1990s.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: It is generally accepted that COPD is widely underdiagnosed and many people remain untreated. In the US the NIH has promoted November as COPD Awareness Month to be an annual focus on increasing awareness of the condition.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Globally, as of 2010, COPD is estimated to result in economic costs of $2.1 trillion, half of which occurring in the developing world. Of this total an estimated $1.9 trillion are direct costs such as medical care, while $0.2 trillion are indirect costs such as missed work. This is expected to more than double by 2030. In Europe, COPD represents 3% of healthcare spending. In the United States, costs of the disease are estimated at $50 billion, most of which is due to exacerbation. COPD was among the most expensive conditions seen in U.S. hospitals in 2011, with a total cost of about $5.7 billion.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Hyaluronan is a natural sugar in the extracellular matrix that provides a protective coating for cells. It has been shown that on exposure to pollution the hyaluronan in the lungs breaks down into fragments causing irritation and activation of the immune system. There follows subsequent airway constriction and inflammation. The study showed that the inhalation of unfragmented hyaluronan overcame the effects of fragmented HA and reduced inflammation. Inhaled HA only acts locally in the bronchial tree and does not interfere with any drug. It improves mucus clearance by allowing it to move more freely. Further studies are to be carried out in the


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A new cryogenic treatment aimed at the chronic bronchitic subtype using a "liquid nitrogen metered cryospray" is being trialled and was due to complete in September 2021.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Stem-cell therapy using mesenchymal stem cells has the potential to restore lung function and thereby improve quality of life. In June 2021 eight clinical trials had been completed and seventeen were underway. Overall, stem cell therapy has proved to be safe. The trials include the use of stem cells from different sources such as adipose tissue, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: A procedure known as targeted lung denervation is being trialled and has been used as part of a clinical trial (2021) in a hospital in the UK. The new minimally invasive procedure which takes about an hour to carry out, places electrodes to destroy branches of the vagus nerve in the lungs. The vagus nerve is responsible for both muscle contraction and mucus secretion, which results in narrowing the airways. In those with COPD these nerves are overactive, usually as a result of smoking damage and the constant mucus secretion and airway constriction leads to the symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, wheeze and tightness of the chest.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: The effectiveness of alpha-1 antitrypsin augmentation treatment for people who have alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is unclear. A later clinical trial of double-dosing has shown some improvements in slowing the breakdown of elastin and the progression of emphysema with further studies being called for.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Research continues into the use of telehealthcare to treat people with COPD when they experience episodes of shortness of breath; treating people remotely may reduce the number of emergency-room visits and improve the person's quality of life.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Evidence is growing for the effectiveness of Astaxanthin against lung disease including COPD. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties and more trials are said to be needed into its use.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: American COPD patients and their caregivers consider the following COPD-related research areas as the most important: family/social/community research, patients' well‐being, curative research, biomedical therapies, policy and holistic therapies.


title: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

text: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may occur in a number of other animals and may be caused by exposure to tobacco smoke. Most cases of the disease, however, are relatively mild. In horses it is known as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) or "heaves". RAO can be quite severe and most often is linked to exposure to common allergens. COPD is also commonly found in old dogs.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (; "Sirḥān Bišāra Sirḥān", born March 19, 1944) is a Palestinian Jordanian man who was convicted for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Kennedy, a United States Senator and brother of John F. Kennedy, was shot by Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 1968. He died the following day at Good Samaritan Hospital.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan was born to an Arab Christian family in Jerusalem, where he attended a Lutheran school. In 1989, he told David Frost: "My only connection with Robert Kennedy was his sole support of Israel and his deliberate attempt to send those 50 bombers to Israel to obviously do harm to the Palestinians." Some scholars believe that the assassination was the first major incident of political violence in the United States stemming from the Palestinian–Israeli conflict in the Middle East.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan was convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California. On August 27, 2021, after years of being denied parole, Sirhan was granted parole by a two-person panel of the California parole board. Prosecutors declined to participate or to oppose his release under a policy by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. On January 13, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom blocked Sirhan's release on parole.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan was born into an Arab Palestinian Christian family in Mandatory Palestine, in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Musrara, and became a Jordanian citizen following the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank. According to his mother, as a child Sirhan was traumatized by the violence he witnessed in the Arab–Israeli conflict, including the death of his older brother, who was run over by a military vehicle that was swerving to evade gunfire.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: When Sirhan was 12 years old, his family immigrated to the United States, moving briefly to New York and then to California. In Altadena, he attended Eliot Junior High School, followed by John Muir High School and Pasadena City College, both in Pasadena. Sirhan's father, Bishara, has been characterized as a stern man who often beat his sons. Shortly after the family's move to California, Bishara returned alone to the Middle East. Standing and weighing at 20 years old, Sirhan moved to Corona to train to be a jockey while working at a stable, but lost his job and abandoned the pursuit after suffering a head injury in a racing accident.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan never became an American citizen, retaining instead his Jordanian citizenship. As an adult, he changed church denominations several times, joining Baptist and Seventh-day Adventist churches. Then, in 1966, he joined the esoteric organization Ancient Mystical Order of the Rose Cross, one of the multiple Rosicrucian Orders.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Around 12:15 a.m. PDT on June 5, 1968, Sirhan fired a .22 LR Iver-Johnson Cadet revolver at United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the crowd surrounding him in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after Kennedy had finished addressing supporters in the hotel's main ballroom. Authors George Plimpton, Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill, former professional football player Rosey Grier, and 1960 Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson were among several men who subdued and disarmed Sirhan after a struggle.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Kennedy was shot three times—once in the head and twice in the back—with a fourth bullet passing through his jacket. He died almost 26 hours later at Good Samaritan Hospital. Five other people at the event were also shot, all of whom recovered: Paul Schrade, an official with the United Automobile Workers union; William Weisel, an ABC TV unit manager; Ira Goldstein, a reporter with the Continental News Service; Elizabeth Evans, a friend of Pierre Salinger, one of Kennedy's campaign aides; and Irwin Stroll, a teenage Kennedy volunteer.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: In a 2018 interview with "The Washington Post", Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he traveled to the Richard J. Donovan correctional facility in California to meet with Sirhan, and that, after a relatively lengthy conversation (the details of which he would not disclose), believed that Sirhan did not kill his father and that a second gunman was involved.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Despite the fact that Sirhan admitted his guilt in a recorded confession while in police custody on June 9, a lengthy, publicized trial followed in "The People of the State of California v. Sirhan Sirhan". The judge did not accept his confession and denied his request to withdraw his plea of "not guilty" in order to plead "guilty".


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On February 10, 1969, Sirhan's lawyers made a motion in chambers to enter a plea of guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for life imprisonment rather than the death penalty. Sirhan told Judge Herbert V. Walker that he wanted to withdraw his original plea of not guilty in order to plead guilty as charged on all counts. He also asked that his counsel "dissociate themselves from this case completely." The judge asked him what he wanted to do about sentencing, and Sirhan replied, "I will ask to be executed." Walker denied the motion and said, "This court will not accept the plea." He also denied Sirhan's request for his counsel to withdraw; his counsel entered another motion to withdraw from the case of their own volition, but Walker denied that as well. Walker subsequently ordered that the record be sealed pertaining to the motion.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: The trial proceeded, and opening statements began on February 12. The lead prosecutor in the case was Lynn "Buck" Compton, a World War II veteran of Easy Company fame who later became a justice of the California Court of Appeal. David Fitts delivered the prosecution's opening statement, providing examples of Sirhan's preparations to kill Kennedy. The prosecution showed that Sirhan was seen at the Ambassador Hotel on June 3, two nights before the attack, to learn the building's layout, and that he visited a gun range on June 4. Alvin Clark, Sirhan's garbage collector, testified that Sirhan had told him a month before the attack of his intention to shoot Kennedy.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan's defense counsel included attorney Grant Cooper, who had hoped to demonstrate that the killing had been the impulsive act of a man with a mental deficiency. But Walker admitted into evidence pages from three of the journal notebooks Sirhan had kept that suggested the crime was premeditated and "quite calculating and willful." On March 3, Cooper asked Sirhan in direct testimony if he had shot Kennedy; Sirhan replied, "Yes, sir," but then said that he did not bear Kennedy any ill will. Sirhan also testified that he had killed Kennedy "with 20 years of malice aforethought." He explained in an interview with David Frost in 1989 that this referred to the time since the creation of the State of Israel. He has maintained since then that he has no memory of the crime, nor of making that statement in court.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: The defense based its case primarily on the expert testimony of Bernard L. Diamond, a professor of law and psychiatry, who testified that Sirhan was suffering from diminished capacity at the time of the murder.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan was convicted on April 17, 1969, and was sentenced six days later to death in the gas chamber. Three years later, his sentence was commuted to life in prison, owing to the California Supreme Court's decision in "People v. Anderson", which ruled that capital punishment is a violation of the California Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The February 1972 decision was retroactive, invalidating all existing death sentences in California.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan's lawyer Lawrence Teeter later argued that Grant Cooper was compromised by a conflict of interest and was, as a consequence, grossly negligent in defense of his client. The defense moved for a new trial amid claims of setups, police bungles, hypnotism, brainwashing, blackmail and government conspiracies. On June 5, 2003, coincidentally the 35th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, Teeter petitioned a federal court in Los Angeles to move the case to Fresno. He argued that Sirhan could not get a fair hearing in Los Angeles, where a man who helped prosecute him was then a federal judge: U.S. District Judge William Matthew Byrne Jr. in Los Angeles was an assistant U.S. attorney during Sirhan's trial, and part of the prosecutorial team.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Since 1994, Teeter had been trying to have state and federal courts overturn Sirhan's conviction, arguing his client was hypnotized and framed, possibly by a government conspiracy. During one hearing, Teeter referred to testimony from the original trial transcripts regarding a prosecution eyewitness to the attack, author George Plimpton, in which he said that Sirhan looked "enormously composed. He seemed ... purged." This statement coincided with the defense's argument that Sirhan had shot Kennedy while in some kind of hypnotic trance. The motion was denied. Teeter died in 2005, and Sirhan declined other counsel to replace him.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On November 26, 2011, Sirhan's defense teams filed court papers for a new trial, saying that "expert analysis of recently-uncovered evidence shows two guns were fired in the assassination and that Sirhan's revolver was not the gun that shot Kennedy" and he "should be freed from prison or granted a new trial based on 'formidable evidence', asserting his innocence and 'horrendous violations' of his rights".


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On January 5, 2015, Sirhan's motion was denied by U.S. District Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell in Los Angeles, who said that Sirhan "failed to meet the showing required for actual innocence" that might excuse his having failed to seek his freedom sooner in federal court. In other words, Sirhan's case was not strong enough. "Though petitioner advances a number of theories regarding the events of June 5, 1968, petitioner does not dispute that he fired eight rounds of gunfire in the kitchen pantry of the Ambassador Hotel", O'Connell wrote. "Petitioner does not show that it is more likely than not that no juror, acting reasonably, would have found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: A motive cited for Sirhan's actions is the Middle East conflict. After his arrest, Sirhan said, "I can explain it. I did it for my country." Sirhan believed that he was deliberately betrayed by Kennedy's support for Israel in the June 1967 Six-Day War, which had begun one year to the day before the assassination. During a search of Sirhan's apartment after his arrest, a spiral-bound notebook was found containing a diary entry that demonstrated that his anger had gradually fixated on Kennedy, who had promised to send 50 fighter jets to Israel if elected president. Sirhan's journal entry of May 18, 1968, read: "My determination to eliminate R.F.K. is becoming the more and more [sic] of an unshakable obsession...Kennedy must die before June 5th." They found other notebooks and diary entries expressing his growing rage at Kennedy; his journals also contained many aphorisms that were thought to be his version of "free writing". He wrote in support of communism: "Long live Communism... I firmly support the communist cause and its people... American capitalism will fall and give way to the worker's dictatorship."


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: The next day, on June 6, the "Los Angeles Times" printed an article by Jerry Cohen that discussed Sirhan's motive for the assassination, confirmed by the memos Sirhan wrote to himself. The article stated: "When the Jordanian nationalist, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, allegedly shot Kennedy, ostensibly because of the senator's advocacy of U.S. support for Israel, the crime with which he was charged was in essence another manifestation of the centuries-old hatred between Arab and Jew."


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: M.T. Mehdi, then secretary-general of the Action Committee on American-Arab Relations, believed that Sirhan had acted in justifiable self-defense, stating: "Sirhan was defending himself against those 50 Phantom jets Kennedy was sending to Israel." Mehdi wrote a 100-page book on the subject called "Kennedy and Sirhan: Why?"


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Later in prison, Sirhan claimed that he had been drunk. An interview with Sirhan in 1980 revealed new claims that a combination of liquor and anger over the anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war had triggered his actions. "You must remember the circumstances of that night, June 5. That was when I was provoked," Sirhan says, recorded in a transcript of one of his interviews with Mehdi, later president of the New York-based American-Arab Relations Committee. "That is when I initially went to observe the Jewish Zionist parade in celebration of the June 5, 1967, victory over the Arabs. That was the catalyst that triggered me on that night." Then Sirhan said, "In addition, there was the consumption of the liquor, and I want the public to understand that."


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: In 1971, Sirhan was housed in the Adjustment Center at San Quentin State Prison. He was subsequently transferred to the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad, California, where he was confined until 1992. From 1992 to 2009, he was confined at the California State Prison (COR) in Corcoran, California, and lived in COR's Protective Housing Unit until he was moved to a harsher lockdown at COR in 2003. In October 2009, ostensibly for his safety, he was transferred to the Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California, where he was housed in a cell by himself. He was subsequently moved back to Corcoran.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On November 22, 2013, Sirhan was transferred from Corcoran to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County. The transfer occurred on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, but a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that the transfer was "a routine matter of housing allotments" and its timing was "simply an unfortunate coincidence".


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On August 30, 2019, Sirhan was stabbed multiple times by another prisoner. He was taken to a hospital, where his condition was reported as stable. He returned to the prison two days later, after his discharge from the hospital.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: In a 1980 interview with M. T. Mehdi, Sirhan claimed that his actions were fueled by liquor and anger. He then complained that the parole board was not taking these "mitigating" circumstances into account when they continually denied his parole.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: In 1974, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn dedicated their communist manifesto "Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism" to Sirhan (along with 200 others), hailing him as a courageous political prisoner. In February 1973, Sirhan's release was one of the demands of the Black September Organization, which took American hostages at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: In 1982, Sirhan told the parole board: "I sincerely believe that if Robert Kennedy were alive today, I believe he would not countenance singling me out for this kind of treatment. I think he would be among the first to say that, however horrible the deed I committed 14 years ago was, that it should not be the cause for denying me equal treatment under the laws of this country."


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Sirhan was denied parole for the 14th time in 2011. He was denied parole again in 2016, at his 15th parole hearing. One of Sirhan's shooting victims from that night, Paul Schrade, aged 91 at the time of the hearing, testified in his support, stating his belief that a second shooter killed Kennedy and that Sirhan was intended to be a distraction from the real gunman by an unknown conspiracy. Sirhan repeated his claim to have no memory of the shooting, saying: "It's all vague now. I'm sure you all have it in your records. I can't deny it or confirm it. I just wish this whole thing had never taken place." His parole was denied on the grounds that he had not expressed adequate remorse for his crime or acknowledged its severity.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On August 27, 2021, in his 16th appearance before the parole board, the board's two-person panel voted to grant Sirhan parole after finding that he no longer posed a threat to society. He has served 53 years in jail. Two of Kennedy's surviving sons, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Douglas Kennedy, offered their support for parole during Sirhan's appearance before the parole board. Parole Board Commissioner Robert Barton even stated to Sirhan “We think that you have grown.” The decision was subject to a 90-day review by the California Board of Parole Hearings after which the governor of California had 30 days to grant, reverse, or modify the decision.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Six other surviving children of Robert F. Kennedy—Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy—opposed parole for Sirhan, and urged the full parole board or Governor Gavin Newsom to reverse the recommendation. They filed a statement with the parole board on August 27, 2021, opposing Sirhan's release. Rory Kennedy wrote a guest essay in the "New York Times" saying that Sirhan did not deserve parole, citing his lack of remorse and unwillingness to accept responsibility.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: Neither Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón nor any staff of his office appeared at the parole hearing or took any position on parole for Sirhan. This was a break from the previous practice of the prosecution, which had opposed parole in all of Sirhan's previous hearings. Upon taking office, Gascón had issued a directive that his office's "default policy" was not to attend parole hearings or take a position on parole.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: The next step in the parole process is review "by the legal division of the Board of Parole Hearings, a process that can take up to about four months. If the lawyers find an error, they can send the case to the full slate of commissioners to review." If there is no reason to send the decision to the full board of commissioners, then it goes to the governor, who has 30 days to review it. It was later acknowledged that Sirhan's parole was also aided by a recent California law that required the parole board to consider things like age, health, and childhood trauma as mitigating factors – things it hadn't considered before.


title: Sirhan Sirhan

text: On January 13, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom denied Sirhan's latest bid for parole. He wrote an op-ed in the "Los Angeles Times" stating that even though the state parole board had recommended Sirhan for parole, the severity of the crime and Sirhan's "current refusal to accept responsibility for it" led Newsom to deny the request.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Vasyl Anatoliyovych Lomachenko (, ; also spelled Vasiliy; born 17 February 1988) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes from featherweight to lightweight, including unified and lineal titles at lightweight.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko is one of the most successful amateur boxers of all time, possessing a record of 396 wins and 1 loss, with that loss avenged twice. Competing in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, he won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships, gold at the 2008 European Championships, consecutive gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and consecutive gold at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Making his professional debut in 2013, Lomachenko tied the record with Saensak Muangsurin for winning a world title in the fewest professional fights, becoming the WBO featherweight champion in his third fight. He is known for his exceptional hand speed, timing, accuracy, creativity, athleticism, defence and footwork.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: He has won several awards by media outlets throughout his career. "The Ring" magazine and ESPN named him Prospect of the Year in 2013; CBS Sports named him Boxer of the Year in 2016; HBO Sports named him Boxer of the Year in 2016 and in 2017; and the Boxing Writers Association of America and "The Ring" named him Fighter of the Year in 2017.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: As of November 2022, Lomachenko is ranked as the world's seventh best active boxer, pound for pound, by "The Ring". He is also ranked as the world's second best active lightweight by "The Ring", the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, ESPN, and fourth by BoxRec.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko was coached by his father Anatoly Lomachenko from a young age. He claims that if his father had not been a boxing coach he probably would have chosen to play ice hockey professionally. According to Bob Arum in 2017, Lomachenko's father did not let him train for boxing until he attended traditional Ukrainian dance classes. He then went on to gymnastics before finally getting into the ring.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: At the 2007 World Championships in Chicago, he won silver by beating Abner Cotto in the first round, Theodoros Papazov, Mikhail Bernadski, Arturo Santos Reyes, and Li Yang in the semifinal to reach fellow southpaw and Russian favorite Albert Selimov, to whom he lost 11–16.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko won gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He beat his five opponents by an astonishing 45 point margin, outscoring them 58–13, en route to his first gold medal at the senior level. He was subsequently named the outstanding boxer of the tournament and awarded the Val Barker Trophy. Additionally, he won gold again that year to also become continental champion at the European Championships in Liverpool.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: He won gold at the 2009 World Championships in Milan. He then competed as a lightweight at the 2011 World Championships in Baku after AIBA removed the featherweight division. There, he won his second consecutive gold medal to become a two-weight world champion.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Following a forced move up to lightweight, he won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London to become a rare two-weight Olympic champion. He defeated Han Soon-Chul of South Korea in the final, , and was a strong candidate to win the Val Barker Trophy for a second time in what would have historically been an unprecedented feat. Ultimately, he was edged by welterweight gold medal winner, Serik Sapiyev, of Kazakhstan.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: He finished his extensive amateur career with an impressive record of 396 wins and only one loss, to Albert Selimov, which was avenged twice. In November 2017, boxing website "The Sweet Science" conducted a readers' poll, which ran for several weeks, to determine the amateur boxer regarded by the public majority as the all-time best. Alongside Lomachenko, the five other standout finalists selected were: Laszlo Papp, Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon, Mark Breland, and Guillermo Rigondeaux. While none were able to claim the majority vote, Lomachenko won a plurality, having led the poll with nearly one-third of the total votes cast.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Prior to turning professional, Lomachenko competed in the lightweight division of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) from January to May 2013. Some outlets would later claim that the six fights Lomachenko had in this tournament should have counted towards his professional record, due to WSB being professional boxing by law, with no headgear and rounds being scored using the ten-point must system according to the regulations set by professional boxing commissions that license the boxers, promoters, and officials.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: After winning his second Olympic gold medal, Lomachenko made the decision to turn professional. After meeting with several fight promoters, he signed a contract to fight for Top Rank. Lomachenko made his professional debut in United States on 12 October 2013 as part of the undercard to Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Márquez, defeating Mexican fighter José Ramirez with a fourth-round knockout.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko attempted to make history by winning a world championship in his second fight and breaking Saensak Muangsurin's record, who won a junior welterweight world title in his third pro fight in 1975. He challenged veteran boxer Orlando Salido for World Boxing Organization's featherweight title. The title became vacant after Salido failed to make weight, weighed in 128¼ pounds, over the 126 pound limit. On fight night, he rehydrated to 147 pounds, which was equivalent to the welterweight limit. All of which were still legal since there were no rehydration clauses disclosed in the contract. The fight took place in front of 7,323 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on 1 March 2014. Lomachenko would earn $631,000, for what was his second professional bout.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko seemed to shy away from engaging Salido throughout most of the fight, probably due to Salido landing numerous low blows and head-butts that the referee failed to call and/or deduct a point. A total of 52 low blows can easily be counted throughout the bout, something that his opponent exploited. A late surge, which saw him injure Salido in the final round, was unable to change the final result, losing by split decision. Two judges had it for Salido 116–112 and 115–113, while the third had it for Lomachenko 115–113. Lomachenko, for his part, stated he felt the decision was fair and accepted blame for not following through with his corner's game plan, promising to learn from the experience and come back stronger. The referee of the fight, Laurence Cole, was roundly criticized by many boxing media outlets for his seemingly ignoring the very many foul blows by Salido, and his perceived failure to properly conduct the match.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: The WBO title remained vacant due to Salido not making weight. On 20 March 2014 the WBO contacted Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank to make them aware that they had 30 days to negotiate a fight between Lomachenko and Gary Russell Jr. (24-0, 14 KO) for the vacant WBO featherweight title. In an interview, WBO President Paco Valcarcel said that the fight should take place no later than July 2014. Purse bids were scheduled which Golden Boy won with a bid of $1,052,500, while Top Rank bid $1,050,000. Lomachenko was entitled to $631,350 (60%) and Russell Jr. was entitled to $420,900 (40%). Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer challenged Lomachenko's residency. According to the WBO, "If the fight is held in the country of origin, residence or nationality of one of the contenders, the resident contestant shall receive 40 percent and his opponent shall receive 60 percent off the total purse offered." Schaefer claimed Lomachenko resided in Marina del Rey, California. It was later ascertained that Lomachenko had rented a home in California to live in while training, while Ukraine remained his permanent residence.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: The fight took place on 21 June at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Lomachenko defeated Russell Jr. via twelve-round majority decision to win the vacant WBO featherweight title. Judge Lisa Giampa scored the fight a 114–114 draw, but judges Max DeLuca and Pat Russell scored the fight 116–112 in favour of Lomachenko. Lomachenko used his power and swift skills to maintain control of the fight until the final bell. Lomachenko began to hurt Russell Jr. more in the later rounds with power shots. Russell Jr. landed only 10% of his punches thrown, with a lot of combinations being missed or blocked. Lomachenko landed 183 of 597 punches thrown (31%) and Russell Jr. landed 83 of his 806 thrown. With this victory, Lomachenko joined Saensak Muangsurin as the only other boxer to have won a world title in the quickest amount of time since turning professional, accomplishing the feat in just his third professional bout. The fight averaged 578,000 viewers.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko made his first title defense against mandatory challenger Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo of Thailand. This fight took place on the undercard of the Pacquiao vs. Algieri on HBO PPV bout on November 22, 2014 at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macao. Although Piritapinyo's record of 52 wins and 1 loss made the fight sound challenging for Lomachenko, the only time he stepped up in his 11-year career was in 2012 against Chris John, which he lost via unanimous decision. Lomachenko handled his opponent easily, hurting him a few times and scoring a knockdown at the end of the fourth round. In the seventh round, Lomachenko stopped using his left hand; it was later confirmed that he injured that hand. Lomachenko won a unanimous decision with the scores of 120–107 on all three of the judges' scorecards. Lomachenko landed 368 of 1006 punches thrown (37%) and Piriyapinyo landed 94 of his 501 thrown (19%).


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: It was announced prior to Lomachenko's mandatory fight against Piriyapinyo that the winner would next fight 28 year old Puerto Rican boxer Gamalier Rodríguez. Rodriguez earned the title shot after knocking out Martin Cardona. The fight was announced to take place on 2 May 2015 on the under-card of Mayweather-Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Prior to the fight, Rodriguez was on a 17-fight winning streak dating back to 2010, where the fight resulted in a first round technical draw. Top Rank announced before the fight that Lomachenko had signed a five-year contract extension. On fight night, Lomachenko retained his WBO title against Rodriguez via a ninth-round KO victory. Lomachenko's speed and precision was too much for Rodriguez, who took a knee twice in the fight, once in the seventh and again in the ninth, which ended the bout. He was also docked a point by referee in fifth round for a low blow. Lomachenko landed 227 of 586 punches thrown (39%) compared to Rodriguez who landed only 55 of 285 (19%). After the fight, Lomachenko spoke through a translator about his performance, "I was just boxing for the fans, having a good time out there." Top Rank were hoping to match Lomachenko with then-WBA featherweight champion Nicholas Walters in a unification fight. Lomachenko had a $750,000 purse for the defence.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko next fought on the Tim Bradley vs. Brandon Rios undercard on HBO against #7 WBO ranked 24 year old Romulo Koasicha. The fight took place on 7 November 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Paradise, Nevada. He overwhelmed, dominated and stopped Koasicha in the tenth round on a body shot. In the post fight interview, Lomachenko told of how he wanted to put on a good show, "I was just having fun in there, "If I really wanted to knock him out, I would have done it earlier. I was having a good time, but I knew the end would be on a body shot. I just didn't know which one." Lomachenko earned a career high $750,000 for the fight and out landed Koasicha by 259 punches. Compubox stats showed that Lomachenko dominated throughout, landing 334 of his 717 punches thrown (47%). Koasicha only managed to land 75 of 607 (12%) and earned $35,000 for the loss. The loss ended Koasicha's run of 4 straight wins and he suffered his first stoppage defeat.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Following a third successful defense, Lomachenko, still the reigning WBO featherweight champion decided to move up weight to junior lightweight to challenge Román Martínez for his WBO title on 11 June 2016 at the Madison Square Garden Theater. Martinez was coming off a draw against Orlando Salido in September 2015, after he controversially defeated him in their first fight in April 2015 for the WBO title. Lomachenko became the fastest boxer to win a world title in two weight divisions knocking out Martinez in the 5th round of the world title fight. Lomachenko dominated the fight from the start with superior footwork, hand speed and slick punching from different angles. According to CompuBox, Lomachenko out-landed Martinez 87 to 34. After the fight, Lomachenko called out Orlando Salido, "Hey Salido, I'm ready to fight you at any time, before the Vargas fight, I told him to win the fight but I never told him I wasn't going to fight him if he didn't, so let's do it. I want to revenge Salido for my fans and give them a win over him." Lomachenko was paid $850,000 for the bout, at the time a career-high purse.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: After failing to make the fight happen earlier in the year, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti confirmed on September 28 that Lomachenko would defend his WBO title against 30 year old unbeaten Jamaican boxer Nicholas Walters at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on 26 November on HBO. In previous negotiations, Walters turned down a career-high $550,000 purse, even after Lomachenko offered him a further $300,000 from his own purse if Walters won. HBO provided the remainder of Walter's purse for the fight to go ahead. The event marked Bob Arum's 2,000th promoted card, as well as celebrating his 50th anniversary as a promoter.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: After Lomachenko dominated the first six rounds with his movement, he threw more combination punches in the seventh which left Walters visibly shaken. Lomachenko won the fight after Walters retired on his stool at the end of the seventh round. Upon returning to his corner, Walters got up and walked to referee Tony Weeks, where he reiterated twice he did not want to continue. A lot of boos followed the confirmation of the fight result as Walters seemed to back himself up for not returning for round 8, blaming his inactivity in the ring, "Listen to me, if I get the chance to fight two or three fights leading up to this fight, I'll definitely take him on in different circumstances where we are more active and definitely beat him but it was all him tonight... he fought me with three fights this year. So it was all him tonight... Nothing take away from him, he's a very good fighter, I learned a lot from fighting him and it was seven rounds of beautiful boxing until my corner decided to end it."


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: CompuBox stats showed Lomachenko landed 114 of 437 punches thrown (26 percent) while Walters landed 49 of 264 (19 percent). Lomachenko earned his first $1 million purse. Following the post fight, Arum told ESPN, he would like to make a rematch with Salido next, followed by a lightweight title fight against Terry Flanagan and then a super fight with Manny Pacquiao. The fight drew 761,000 viewers on HBO.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: On 2 February 2017, Bob Arum spoke to ESPN. After failing to make a match up with WBA (Super) champion Jezreel Corrales, he announced Lomachenko's next fight would take place on 8 April at the MGM National Harbor in Washington, D.C., in a super featherweight unification against WBA (Regular) champion Jason Sosa. This would have been Sosa's third defence of his secondary title, but on 16 February, he vacated the title. Lomachenko weighed 129.6 pounds. Sosa weighed in at 130.4 pounds, he then stripped down naked and still over weighed at 130.2 and was given the time to trim the extra weight. He later returned to the Maryland commission's scale and successfully made weight exactly 130 pounds allowing himself to challenge for the WBO title. The fight headlined HBO "World Championship Boxing". In front of a sell-out crowd of 2,828, mostly Ukrainian, Lomachenko successfully retained his WBO title for a second time after Sosa failed to return for round 10 when his trainer pulled him out. The bout was similar to Lomachenko's previous fight with Walters, who also pulled out. Lomachenko's flashy style and fast combinations won him the rounds. Sosa appeared more hurt in round 8 when he was hit hard on the body.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Sosa was the most successful opponent Lomachenko had fought since Salido in terms of landing punches. He landed 68 of his 286 thrown (24%). Lomachenko landed 275 of 696 punches (40%). Sosa's trainer, Raul Rivas explained why he pulled him out of the fight, "It was an accumulation of too many punches. I didn't want to get Jason hurt. He was out of the fight." Lomachenko said he wanted to follow this victory by only fighting current world champions at super featherweight for a chance to unify the division or he would move up lightweight. Lomachenko's purse for the fight was $800,000. The fight peaked at 886,000 viewers HBO and averaged 832,000 viewers. These numbers showed an increase in viewership for Lomachenko from his last fight on HBO against Walters.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: On 30 June 2017 Top Rank announced that a deal was in place for Lomachenko to make a third defense of his WBO title against Colombian former featherweight world title challenger Miguel Marriaga, who was coming off a loss and moving up to super featherweight. It was confirmed that the fight would take place live on ESPN on August 5, 2017 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Carl Moretti of Top Rank stated that Salido had initially turned down a $720,000 purse to fight Lomachenko in a rematch. Even after negotiations to meet his financial needs, Salido still denied the offer due to other problems, mentioning weight and hand issues.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In front of 4,102 people, Lomachenko dominated the fight from the opening bell and proved too much for Marriaga, dropping him twice in the fight, before Marriaga's corner stopped the fight after round 7. Lomachenko retained his WBO title for the third time. The first knockdown came towards the end of the third round when Lomachenko landed a straight left to Marriaga, who was off balance. Marriaga got up straight away and didn't appear hurt. In the fourth round, an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut above Lomachenko's left eye. In the following round, Lomachenko protested to referee Jack Reiss, claiming he was being hit low and headbutted. In the seventh round, Lomachenko landed body shots and uppercuts, eventually dropping Marriaga for the second time with a left hook at 2 minutes and 59 seconds of round 7. Marriaga beat the count and walked towards his corner. The referee waved an end to the fight moments later. Although it was a corner retirement, the California State Athletic Commission ruled it a KO win. Lomachenko earned a $750,000 purse for the fight, compared to the $50,000 received by Marriaga.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: During the post fight interviews, Marriaga praised Lomachenko, "He dominated the fight. I connected with some good punches, but I couldn't get the result I was looking for. I wanted to continue the fight, but my corner stopped the fight. He basically overwhelmed me with pressure." Bob Arum also showed his admiration of Lomachenko, comparing him to former heavyweight world champion and legend Muhammad Ali, who had 27 of his professional fight promoted by Arum. He said "I never saw anything like this. He's unbelievable. Not only does he have the knowledge, he has the skill set that I've never seen before. Fast, reflexes, everything and he really entertains. Who else did that? Muhammad Ali." The fight averaged 728,000 viewers on ESPN. The move from HBO to ESPN was done to expose Lomachenko and gain more viewership, but was down by 104,000 compared to Lomachenko's last fight against Sosa on HBO. Viewership was adversely affected by a channel switch when the broadcast began and the time at which their main event started.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: On 6 August, Arum stated that Lomachenko would fight for a third time in 2017, likely on 9 or 23 December. When asked who the potential options were, Arum stated, "Well, there's a few guys. (Guillermo) Rigondeaux if he answers Dino (Duva's) call. There's (Orlando) Salido, who's sniffing around and the third is (Miguel) Berchelt." Arum also mentioned lightweight contender Ray Beltrán, but said he would like to capture a world title at lightweight before a potential fight with Lomachenko. Salido informed his manager Sean Gibbons, that he had no issues with fighting Lomachenko in December. Gibbons believed Lomachenko needed Salido more than Salido would need Lomanchenko, as Lomachenko was looking to raise TV ratings and sell out a 10,000 capacity arena. On 14 August, Arum spoke to LA Times and confirmed either Rigondeaux or Salido would be Lomachenko's next opponent. He stated if the bout with Rigondeaux was made, it would likely take place at the Madison Square Garden Theatre and a potential rematch with Salido would take place in Los Angeles.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: On 21 August Arum stated the Lomachenko and Rigondeaux camps were closing in on finalizing a deal for December 9. A fight with the two-weight world champion and reigning super bantamweight title holder, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and one of the most successful amateur boxers ever, would take place at 130 pounds. The fight was officially confirmed on 15 September. It was since confirmed that the fight would in fact be at the Theater, headlining an ESPN televised card. On 18 November, Carl Moretti of Top Rank revealed a re-hydration clause on the contract. Both fighters agreed to weigh in at 09:00 on the morning of the fight, where they would not be able to exceed 138 pounds. Any fighter over the limit would face a penalty of more than $10,000. On fight night, Lomachenko weighed 137.4 pounds and Rigondeaux weighed 130 pounds.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In front of a sell-out crowd of 5,102 at the Theater, Lomachenko retained his WBO title, dominating the fight with superior boxing skills, forcing Rigondeaux to retire on his stool after round 6. Rigondeaux stated he had broken the top of his left hand in round two, which was the reason he did not come out for round 7. Rigondeax became Lomachenko's fourth consecutive opponent to retire on his stool. The loss also marked the first time Rigondeaux had lost since 2003, when he was still an amateur. At the time of stoppage, Lomachenko was ahead on all three judges' scorecards, 60–53, 59–54, and 59–54.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In the post-fight interviews, Lomachenko was asked about Rigondeaux being his fourth consecutive opponent to retire on his stool, to which Lomachenko joked, "Maybe I should change my second name, now my name is 'No Mas Chenko'." He also went on to say, "This is not his weight, so it's not a big win for me. But he's a good fighter. He's got great skills. I adjusted to his style, low blows and all." Speaking to an interpreter, Rigondeaux said, "I lost, no excuses. I injured the top of my left hand in the second round. He's a very technical fighter. He's explosive. I'm gonna come back because that's what I do. The weight was not a factor in this fight. It was the injury to my hand." According to CompuBox statistics, Lomachenko landed 55 of 339 punches thrown (16%) and Rigondeax landed 15 of his 178 thrown (8%), landing no more than 3 punches per round. For the fight, Lomachenko was guaranteed a purse of $1.2 million whereas Rigondeaux earned a $400,000 purse. On December 12, Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sport, confirmed that Rigondeaux had bruised his hand and not fractured it, as initially stated. The card averaged 1.73 million viewers on ESPN, which did not include ESPN Deportes or the online streaming service.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: The "Los Angeles Times" Lance Pugmire was told by Bob Arum on 26 January 2018 that Lomachenko would have his next fight at lightweight. Arum stated he was unable to make unification fights at super featherweight against WBC champion Miguel Berchelt and WBA titleholder Alberto Machado which was the main reason for the move up.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: On 30 January, Arum told ESPN that negotiations had begun in December 2017 for a fight between Lomachenko and WBA, "The Ring Magazine" lightweight champion Jorge Linares after speaking to Teiken Promotions, Linares' lead promoter, with the fight to take place on either 28 April or 12 May 2018. The fight would main event an ESPN card. Arum was pushing for the fight to take place at Madison Square Garden on 12 May 2018. The reason behind the date was explained by Arum, "May 12th is an extraordinarily important date for ESPN programming. It's right in the middle of the basketball playoffs." Carl Moretti called Eric Gomez of Golden Boy informing them of the date. Gomez stated they were happy with the fight, however the date of 12 May was not a good date for them, as they already had plans for that date. HBO would likely air the pay-per-view replay of Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Álvarez rematch, along with a live bout. On 17 February, Gomez stated the fight was not called off and Arum would need to be more flexible with the date as Golden Boy accepted Arum's terms that the fight would take place in New York. On 13 March, Los Angeles Times confirmed that terms had been agreed between both sides. The agreement was reached after ESPN agreed to televise the fight at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, so it would broadcast before HBO's telecast on the same day. Madison Square Garden in New York City was confirmed as the venue. On 21 March, the fight was officially announced. WBO president Francisco Valcarcel told Lomachenko, regardless of result, he would have 10 days to decide on whether he would return to super featherweight and defend his WBO or vacate. Both boxers weighed in 134.6 pounds.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In front of 10,429 in attendance, Lomachenko survived a knockdown in round 6 to win via TKO in round 10 after a perfectly placed liver shot to claim the WBA (Super) and "The Ring" lightweight titles. In doing so he became the fastest fighter ever to win titles in 3 different weight classes (only 12 professional fights) shattering the previous record of 20 held by Jeff Fenech. Lomachenko wore Linares down with his fast shots through the first 9 rounds, before finishing the fight in round 10. Linares slowly beat the count but looked too hurt to continue. Referee Ricky Gonzalez stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 8 seconds of round 10. The loss snapped Linares' 13-fight win streak. At the time of stoppage, two judges had each fighter ahead 86–84 on their respective scorecards and the third judge Julie Lederman had it 85–85 even. After the fight, Lomachenko said, "It was a great fight. That right hand [that knocked me down], it was a great punch. It happens. I prepared for the last few rounds, and my father [and trainer Anatoly Lomachenko] told me, 'You need to go to the body.' Linares is a great champion, and the fight was good for the fans and everybody." Speaking of the knockout punch, Linares said it was 'perfectly landed.' De La Hoya also congratulated Arum on the fight and told Arum it was good experience working together. According to CompuBox Stats, Linares landed 207 of 739 punches thrown (28%), this included 139 power punches landed and a total amount of 77 body shots landed. Lomachenko landed 213 of 627 punches thrown (34%), with 112 jabs. For the fight, Linares was paid a career high $1 million, with Lomachenko receiving a $1.2 million purse. The card averaged 1,024,00 viewers. The fight itself averaged 1,439,000 viewers and peaked at 1,749,000 viewers, making it the most-watched boxing fight on cable television in 2018. On 23 May, Lomachenko officially vacated his WBO super featherweight title.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: After winning the WBA (Super) and The Ring lightweight titles, promoter Arum stated that Lomachenko would defend the belts on 25 August 2018 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. A possible unification with WBO titleholder Raymundo Beltran was a likely possibility. After vacating his WBO title, Arum stated Lomachenko would not fight on 25 August. It was later revealed that earlier in the bout against Linares, Lomachenko suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He underwent surgery on 30 May at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. According to Lomachenko, the shoulder popped out and then back in during the second round. A new return date of December 2018 was targeted. On 10 July, Lomachenko revealed he would return on 25 August. However, on 31 July, his manager Egis Klimas told The Boxing Beat on ESPN+, Lomachenko would make his ring return on 1 December. In the interview, he also stated it would likely be a unification fight against the winner of the Raymundo Beltran vs. José Pedraza bout, which was scheduled to be contested on 25 August. Pedraza defeated Beltran via unanimous decision, winning the WBO title and setting up a fight with Lomachenko. In September, "The Ring" magazine announced the unification fight between Lomachenko and Pedraza would take place on 8 December 2018 at the Hulu Theatre in New York City.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: For the first time as a professional, Lomachenko unified in a weight division as he beat Pedraza via unanimous decision to retain his WBA (Super) title and claim Pedraza's WBO lightweight title, before a sellout crowd of 5,312. Lomachenko coasted to victory with the three judges scoring the bout 119–107, 117–109, and 117–109 in his favour. The first half of the fight was a rather tentative and tactical affair with neither fighter making a statement, however it was Lomachenko who was landing the more cleaner and points scoring shots. By mid-fight Lomachenko looked to have a solid lead on the cards, but the fight seemed closer in the ring. It was during the championship rounds where the fight came alive. Round 10 was arguably Pedraza's best as he landed a hard right hand to Lomachenko's body. He followed up with a few more shots to the body. Round 11, which was the round of the fight, saw Lomachenko come out quick and land a total of 42 power shots, his busiest round of the fight. In the middle of the round, Lomachenko shook Pedraza following a left hand, which eventually followed with a right hand to the body, dropping Pedraza. Although he beat the count, Pedraza was dropped a second time with over 10 seconds to go following a left to the body. Again, Pedraza beat the count and survived the round. Pedraza used the final round to stay out of reach and take Lomachenko the 12 round distance. The fight ended Lomachenko's 8-fight stoppage streak, in which he saw four consecutive opponents retire on their stool in between rounds. According to CompuBox stats, Lomachenko landed 240 of 738 punches thrown (33%), and Pedraza landed a very low 111 of his 931 punches thrown (12%). 506 of Pedraza's shots thrown where jabs in which only 31 landed. Lomachenko landed 158 power punches throughout the fight.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In the post-fight interview, Lomachenko credited Pedraza as being a tough and tricky fighter, which is why he couldn't score the stoppage victory. He added, "It was my dream to unify titles. It was my next goal. I can now focus on my next chapter." Pedraza was happy with his performance and that he went "12 rounds with the best fighter in the world." He thought the fight was close up until round 11. Arum stated Lomachenko only wanted challenges going forward and would likely next fight in May 2019. The fight averaged 2,013,000 viewers, making it the second most-watched boxing match on American cable or network television in 2018. The fight peaked over 2.1 million viewers and the entire ESPN telecast averaged 1,865,000 viewers. Lomachenko was guaranteed a purse of $1 million, rising to $2 million and Pedraza was guaranteed $350,000, potentially earning closer to $1 million.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Within a week of Lomachenko successfully unifying at lightweight, Top Rank president Todd duBoef announced Lomachenko would return to the ring on 12 April 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, headlining Friday night Top Rank Boxing on ESPN. With Richard Commey and Isa Chaniev set to fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title, it was highly likely that the winner would fight Lomachenko in what would be Lomachenko's second unification fight. Top Rank intended to finalize the deal with promoter Lou DiBella, which would see Commey vs. Chaniev take place on 2 February 2019 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. By the end of January 2019, purse bids for Lomachenko vs. Anthony Crolla were pushed back two days to 6 February 2019 with the minimum bid being $150,000.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Commey defeated Chaniev to become the new IBF lightweight champion, however picked up a hand injury during the fight. His promoter Lou DiBella advised Top Rank, Commey would be out of training for a minimum of two months. This prompted Top Rank to start searching for a new opponent for Lomachenko. On 20 February, it was announced that Lomachenko would defend his WBA (Super), WBO and "The Ring" titles against Crolla at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on 12 April 2019. The bout, including the full undercard would be streamed live and exclusive on ESPN+, to mark the one year anniversary of the streaming service. The fight was made official a week later with ticket information. The bout would mark Crolla's first time fighting in the US, having only fought once previously outside of his native UK. It was reported that Lomachenko would earn $1.2 million, but guaranteed closer to $3.2 million. Crolla, who was a heavy 100-1 underdog, had an official purse of $300,000 for the fight, however guaranteed more due to UK TV rights.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In front of 10,101 in attendance, Lomachenko stopped Crolla in the first minute of round 4. The initial two rounds were paced and methodical as Lomachenko visibly started to out-throw Crolla during round 2. In round 3, Lomachenko became overwhelmingly dominant while forcing Crolla to spend a majority of his time against the ropes. With 11 seconds left in the round, Lomachenko's combination was interrupted by referee Jack Reiss. At first glance, Lomachenko, and even the crowd, thought it looked as if Reiss had stopped the fight, causing Lomachenko to celebrate by jumping on the corner ropes. However, Reiss immediately corrected the misunderstanding and forced out commissioners who had climbed into the ring, and resumed the fight after a 10-second count for Crolla — although with 1 second left, the round effectively ended immediately. Between rounds 3 and 4, Reiss explained he'd not actually waved off the fight, and instead called a technical knockdown — he was seen immediately pointing and saying "down". He explained he was accounting for the ropes' aid to Crolla's ability to stand, since if the ropes had been absent Crolla would've been down and it is against the rules for a fighter to have any outside support in standing throughout the entire duration of the fight, thus justifying this rarely used but sanctioned technical knockdown. Because of this, Crolla continued on into round 4 where after briefly trying to rally back he was knocked down in second 52 by a right hook to the temple. Crolla fell to the canvas face-first, unable to break his fall. After what looked to be a 3 to 4 second count by Reiss, the fight was waved off, giving Lomachenko the win and retaining his sanctioned belts. Crolla was unable to participate in the post-fight interviews, but did not decide to immediately go to hospital. According to CompuBox Stats, Lomachenko landed 72 of 249 shots (29%), and Crolla landed only 12 of his 96 thrown (13%), this included 7 power shots, compared to Lomachenko's 58 power shots.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In the post-fight press conference, Lomachenko said he thought it was a clear waving of the fight by Reiss, who had his back to Lomachenko and entered the exchange in a manner intent on protecting Crolla.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko faced fellow 2012 Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell on 31 August 2019, at The O2 Arena in London in front of a sold-out crowd of over 18,000. Lomachenko retained the WBA, WBO and The Ring lightweight titles, and gained the vacant WBC lightweight title by defeating Campbell by unanimous decision. He was in fine form, winning by 119–108 on two judges' cards, and 118–109 on the other. Despite being a heavy underdog, Campbell started well and took the first round. Lomachenko soon found his groove, however, and almost had Campbell down in the 5th round but for the bell. Campbell took more shots in round 6, but fired back and the fight remained competitive. Lomachenko knocked down Campbell in the 11th round after a series of body shots followed by a stiff jab. Campbell beat the count, and ultimately survived the round and the fight, receiving credit after the bout for his resilience. In his in-ring interview, Lomachenko called for a lightweight unification fight with the winner of Richard Commey vs. Teófimo López, who contested for the IBF title in December.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In September 2020, Lomachenko agreed to fight newly crowned undefeated IBF lightweight champion, Teófimo López, on 17 October 2020 at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Paradise, Nevada. With no live audience, Lomachenko suffered the second defeat of his career, losing by UD with the scorecards reading 116–112, 117–111, and 119–109. Judge Julie Lederman's scorecard of 119–109, giving Lomachenko only a single round, received significant controversy. The first seven rounds saw López staying behind his jab and going to the body, with Lomachenko offering little in response. In the second half, Lomachenko started coming out more offensively, landing more punches. In the final round, López landed 50 of 98 punches thrown (51%), the most an opponent has landed on Lomachenko in a round. According to CompuBox stats, Lomachenko landed 141 of 321 thrown (44%), while López landed 183 of 659 thrown (28%). Days after the fight, Lomachenko underwent surgery on his right shoulder.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: López declined to give Lomachenko a rematch, explaining that "everybody [in Lomachenko's camp] was being a dick to me, my father. He [Lomachenko] didn't want to put a rematch clause in our contract."


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko made his comeback in a fight against Masayoshi Nakatani on 26 June 2021. Lomachenko and Nakatani both shared a common loss to undefeated unified lightweight champion Teófimo López, which Lomachenko cited as the reason why he chose Nakatani as his next opponent, saying, "I want to compare myself with this guy, he was close with [López] in their fight." The fight against Nakatani was only the second fight of Lomachenko's career in which a world title was not at stake, after his professional debut against José Luis Ramírez in 2013. On the night, Lomachenko scored a knockdown in the fifth round en route to a ninth-round technical knockout victory. After the fight, he made clear his intentions of wanting to rematch López in the winter, saying, "December, January, February. I'm waiting."


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: In an attempt to put his name back into contention for a shot at his old titles, Lomachenko agreed to face former IBF lightweight champion, Richard Commey, on 11 December 2021 in New York. On fight night, Lomachenko dropped Commey in the seventh round courtesy of a left hook, later pleading with the corner of the still unsteady Commey to stop the fight. They refused, and Commey survived and went the full 12 rounds, with the judges scoring it 119-108, 119-108, and 117-110, all in favour of Lomachenko. When asked about fighting newly crowned unified lightweight champion, George Kambosos Jr., who had upset Teofimo Lopez a few weeks previously, Lomachenko jumped at the idea, stating that he 'needs this chance' and would be willing to fly to Australia if necessary. However, on 24 February 2022 Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine and Lomachenko returned to his home country to aid in the war effort. On 20 March, Lomachenko was given permission to leave Ukraine in order to face George Kambosos Jr. in Australia. However, he declined, opting to stay and fight for his country. Kambosos Jr. instead lost his titles to WBC champion Devin Haney, who thereby became the undisputed lightweight champion.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: On 7 July 2022, Top Rank president, Todd DuBoef, indicated Lomachenko was planning a return to the boxing ring in October. 29 October 2022 saw Lomachenko step back into the ring to face former sparring partner, 26 year old undefeated Jamaine Ortiz. After a very tough 12 round battle, Lomachenko emerged victorious with a unanimous decision, the three judges scoring the fight 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. With the win, Lomachenko was poised to next challenge undisputed champion Devin Haney, who was ringside for the fight and expressed interest in fighting Lomachenko.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko is married to Olena, and they have two children. As of 2019 (and since at least 2016), he lives in Camarillo, California and trains in nearby Oxnard, just north of Los Angeles.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lomachenko joined the Ukrainian army. After travelling back to Ukraine from Greece, Lomachenko joined the territorial defense battalion of his hometown of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi on 27 February 2022. Lomachenko was in Greece when the invasion began (on 24 February 2022), and his flight home to Ukraine the next day was delayed due to air traffic being grounded. He managed to get into Ukraine by flying to Bucharest and travelling through Romania on 26 February 2022. He followed Ukrainian brothers Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko, former heavyweight boxing champions, who also announced their pledge to protect the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, in February 2022.


title: Vasiliy Lomachenko

text: Lomachenko is known for his exceptional footwork, head movement, speed, and ability to switch stances. Lomachenko's inspirations include Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Roy Jones Jr.


title: University of California, Los Angeles

text: The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California State Normal School (now San José State University). This school was absorbed with the official founding of UCLA as the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest of the 10-campus University of California system (after UC Berkeley).


title: University of California, Los Angeles

text: UCLA offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines, enrolling about 31,600 undergraduate and 14,300 graduate and professional students. UCLA received 174,914 undergraduate applications for Fall 2022, including transfers, making the school the most applied-to university in the United States.