Bob Arum hints Manny Pacquiao could be next for Vasyl Lomachenko

Ten years ago, Manny Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) dominated a faded Oscar De La Hoya and became a global superstar. Now with Pacquiao on the decline, he could be used as a potential launch pad for Vasyl Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KOs) to raise his profile as a must-see boxing attraction.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told Los Angeles Times reporter Lance Pugmire that Pacquiao is one of the options for Lomachenko’s return, which is targeted for the end of 2018.

The “Beltran-Pedraza winner” refers to WBO lightweight champion Ray Beltran and Jose Pedraza, in which case WBA champion Lomachenko would be in a unification bout if not Pacquiao.

This idea has been floated around for quite some time, particularly by Arum, but Pacquiao has also expressed interest. The expectation is that he’d move down to 140 pounds, something he hasn’t done in a decade, and unlike MMA fighters, faded top boxers tend not to make the “move down in weight” career decision. Lomachenko’s manager isn’t that keen, with the weight disparity as one of the sticking points.

Lomachenko is regarded as the #1 pound-for-pound boxer, having captured a world championship in his third weight class back in May, getting off the canvas to eventually knock out Jorge Linares in New York. “Hi-Tech” is a three-division world champion, and it looks like his long-term future is at 135-pounds. A Pacquiao fight would no doubt be lucrative and earn him a career-high payday, it’s just a matter of whether there will ever be mutual interest, as it’s one of the few fights involving Lomachenko that could sell on pay-per-view.

It’s all too common in boxing to have the faded star take on the rising talent, usually with the rising talent getting an emphatic win and gaining more mainstream fans, so Pacquiao vs. Lomachenko might be the next chapter of this story.

Pacquiao is slated to fight Lucas Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs) this Saturday night on ESPN+, live from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.