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In the aftermath of Manny Pacquiao's knockout win over Lucas Matthysse, talk has immediately turned to a possible showdown between Pacquaio and Vasyl Lomachenko, a dream matchup that would pit arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Lomachenko against an opponent, Pacquiao, who once held that title.
On Saturday, Pacquiao picked up a secondary welterweight title. Lomachenko is the lightweight champion. If Pacquiao wants to fight Lomachenko, he will have to come down to 135-pounds, Lomachenko's manager, Egis Klimas, told Yahoo Sports.
"We have no interest [in moving up]," Klimas said. "If Pacquiao can make 135, to come in and compete for [Lomachenko's] WBA title, Vasyl is the champion in that weight class, it’s a possibility. If we are talking 137 [pounds] and 136, no, there will be no catch weight. If he wants to challenge, he needs to come down. We are not looking to go to 140 pounds. If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight Lomachenko, he can make 135 pounds."
Pacquaio has not fought at 135-pounds since 2008.
Klimas says he has had casual discussions with Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank, about a Pacquiao-Lomachenko fight, and he has told them the same thing.
"They were talking about 137, 138, and I don’t think we’re interested in even a half pound higher," Klimas said. "Lomachenko has his own strategy. He and his team has their own desires and the road they want to go. We just jumped from 126 to 130 to 135. Any higher, it's not his weight. I think the whole boxing world saw that [135-pounds] was enough."
Even if Pacquiao committed to making 135-pounds, the location of a Pacquiao-Lomachenko fight could be challenging. Pacquiao's tax issues have made fighting in the U.S. problematic, and Klimas made it clear Lomachenko would never fight in Malaysia, where Pacquaio defeated Matthysse, or the Philippines, Pacquiao's home country.
"How about Kiev, Ukraine?" Klimas joked, referencing Lomachenko's home country.
Klimas added if a neutral site, like Dubai, could be identified, Lomachenko could be open to that.
Via Chris Mannix Facebook
On Saturday, Pacquiao picked up a secondary welterweight title. Lomachenko is the lightweight champion. If Pacquiao wants to fight Lomachenko, he will have to come down to 135-pounds, Lomachenko's manager, Egis Klimas, told Yahoo Sports.
"We have no interest [in moving up]," Klimas said. "If Pacquiao can make 135, to come in and compete for [Lomachenko's] WBA title, Vasyl is the champion in that weight class, it’s a possibility. If we are talking 137 [pounds] and 136, no, there will be no catch weight. If he wants to challenge, he needs to come down. We are not looking to go to 140 pounds. If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight Lomachenko, he can make 135 pounds."
Pacquaio has not fought at 135-pounds since 2008.
Klimas says he has had casual discussions with Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank, about a Pacquiao-Lomachenko fight, and he has told them the same thing.
"They were talking about 137, 138, and I don’t think we’re interested in even a half pound higher," Klimas said. "Lomachenko has his own strategy. He and his team has their own desires and the road they want to go. We just jumped from 126 to 130 to 135. Any higher, it's not his weight. I think the whole boxing world saw that [135-pounds] was enough."
Even if Pacquiao committed to making 135-pounds, the location of a Pacquiao-Lomachenko fight could be challenging. Pacquiao's tax issues have made fighting in the U.S. problematic, and Klimas made it clear Lomachenko would never fight in Malaysia, where Pacquaio defeated Matthysse, or the Philippines, Pacquiao's home country.
"How about Kiev, Ukraine?" Klimas joked, referencing Lomachenko's home country.
Klimas added if a neutral site, like Dubai, could be identified, Lomachenko could be open to that.
Via Chris Mannix Facebook