MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Vasyl Lomachenko has ruled out any possibility of the Ukrainian lightweight king facing WBA welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao anywhere heavier than 135 pounds.
Talks of a super showdown between Lomachenko and Pacquiao have gone on for months, even before Pacquiao fought Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse last week in Malaysia.
But the talks revolved around the weight, and while Pacquiao said he could drop down to 135, the most logical scenario is a fight to be made at 140.
That means Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic champion and 11-1 as a pro, will have to move up while Pacquiao, 60-7-2, moves down in weight.
It’s a potential fight of the year.
Lomachenko’s manager, Egis Klimas, however, told Yahoo! Sports that the fight is not going to happen at 140 – not even 136.
“We have no interest (in fighting at 140 pounds),” Klimas said.
“If Pacquiao can make 135, to come in and compete for the WBA title, Vasyl is the champion in that weight class, it’s a possibility. If we are talking 137 and 136, no, there will be no catchweight,” he added.
Pacquiao has said many times he can still make it at 135 although it’s easier said than done.
The first and last time he fought at lightweight was in June 2008 when he knocked out David Diaz in the ninth round for his fifth world title in five weight divisions.
Dropping down to 135 is doable. But Pacquiao will have to go on a hunger strike to make it.
“If he wants to challenge, he needs to come down,” Klimas told Yahoo! Sports.