A little less than two weeks after Vasyl Lomachenko dispatched Guillermo Rigondeaux in a superfight on ESPN, Lomachenko could be entering having another superfight for his next bout.
According to Bob Arum, who spoke to ESPN, talks are underway for Lomachenko to fight WBA and WBC “Diamond” lightweight champion Jorge Linares in a fight that will pit two of the best boxers at 130 and 135 pounds. Arum told ESPN that negotiations have begun with the possibility of the fight happening next spring.
“It’s being worked on for the next fight. We want to make sure that Linares is OK and ready to go. He had a little cut [against Gesta] and he hurt his hand a little bit, so we need to make sure he’s fine. Depending on how he feels, the fight will be either April 28 or May 12. Linares is a tremendous fighter. He’s a guy with an excellent resume and a good name,” Arum said.
Lomachenko had been rumored to potentially fight WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia sometime in 2018, but Garcia is busy chasing the IBF junior welterweight title when he fights Sergey Lipinets in March.
Although negotiations are underway, there’s no telling if the fight will be for Lomachenko’s IBF super featherweight title or Linares’ lightweight world title. Linares is also still waiting on Garcia to have an open schedule because the WBC had ordered Garcia to unify titles with Linares.
Linares wrapped up another title defense when he defeated Mercito Gesta on January 27 on HBO. Lomachenko defeated former WBA super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux on ESPN last December in a battle of top 10 pound-for-pound boxers.
