SAN DIEGO – It’s the question that hovers over Saturday night’s IBF interim lightweight title fight between unbeaten Californian Raymond Muratalla and once-beaten Russian Zaur Abdullaev.

What are they fighting for? A belt? Or for Vasiliy Lomachenko?

The 37-year-old Ukrainian who’s won world titles in three weight classes along with two Olympic gold medals has been sidelined for several months by a back injury, leading to the IBF granting him an extension until October 8 to either fight Saturday’s winner at Pechanga Arena, or to anoint him as the new world champion.

“I have no idea if Lomachenko is coming back,” his promoter, Bob Arum, told BoxingScene this week.

Arum informed that Lomachenko, 18-3 (12 KOs), has welcomed a third child into his family recently, and he expects to learn soon if the fighter he’s previously described as boxing’s “Picasso” will return to the ring.

“We’ll know in about a week,” Arum said.

Both Muratalla and Abdullaev – who is managed by Lomachenko manager Egis Klimas – say they have no inside information on the matter, and Klimas told BoxingScene at last week’s Boxing Writers Association of America dinner that Lomachenko has not finalized his future.

Another individual close to the fighter told BoxingScene they believe if Lomachenko returned for one more fight after defeating George Kambosos for the IBF belt one year ago in Australia that it would be to fight WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, not Muratalla or Abdullaev.

Davis is headed to an August rematch against Lamont Roach Jnr.

“I’ve heard nothing like that,” Arum said.

The other theory closes the book on a career that featured a failed title shot in his second pro bout, a world title in his third fight and four consecutive stoppage victories on the stool that generated the nickname “No-Mas-Chenko.”

According to some who attended the Kambosos bout, Lomachenko’s visible relief at presenting his father-trainer one more world title indicates he’ll step aside.

“I think Loma’s going to retire. It’s just my feeling,” Top Rank’s Hall of Fame matchmaker Brad Goodman said.

Abdullaev, whose 2019 loss is to one of the three men to defeat Lomachenko, Devin Haney, said he has no insight.

“We don’t know whether Lomachenko is done or not. No clue,” he told BoxingScene.

Would the Russian like to fight the Ukrainian?

“Of course, he’s a legend. It’s a very big opportunity. I’d be happy to fight him,” Abdullaev said.

First comes Muratalla. Abdullaev said he participated in mountain training before coming to Southern California and training at Manny Robles’ gym in  Downey, California.

“We had a long training camp, prepared well, watched a lot of [Muratalla’s] fights and will bring him a lot of pressure,” Abdullaev said. “It’s motivation for me because I’m fighting in [Muratalla’s] home state, close to his [Fontana] hometown. I think it will be an action-packed fight. I’ll do anything to win. Very good fighter, I’ve watched many of his fights, but I’ll be ready. I trained very hard for this.”

What comes next, however, will be determined once the legend Lomachenko speaks.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.