Bob Arum 'would die' to make Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux
By Mike Coppinger October 27, 2015 5:14 pm
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Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux? The bout could happen in 2016. (Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)
Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux? The bout could happen in 2016. (Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)
OMAHA, Neb. — It’s simply one of the best matchups that can be made in boxing — a summit meeting between two elite talents and two of the greatest amateurs of all time.
Vasyl Lomachenko both won Olympic gold medals twice — a rare feat — and stands today as one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world. There’s been talk of a fight in the past, but negotiations stalled. Bob Arum, though, believes he can get the bout done in 2016.
“I would die to do that fight,” Arum told USA TODAY Sports. “And I was willing to go into my pocket to do it. The deal I offered was each fighter would get $500,000 and the winner would get $500,000. It’s not Rigondeaux (stopping the fight), it’s (his promoter) Caribe. Todd (duBoef) talks to them every couple of weeks.
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“I would love to do it next year and I think I have a spot for it. We would do it in Toronto on HBO or Monte Carlo and let HBO do an afternoon show. … I would pay money to see that fight.”
One stumbling block before was the weight. Lomachenko competes at featherweight (126 pounds), where he holds the WBO title, and Rigondeaux at 122 pounds. The Cuban was calling for a catch weight at 124, but Arum says the 34-year-old has now agreed to 126. Money is the only thing holding up the fight now, and Arum believes Caribe must be realistic with demands.
Lomachenko, 27, returns Nov. 7 on HBO against unknown Mexican Romulo Koasicha. As long as the Ukrainian gets past his foe as expected, talks can turn to a ’16 date with Rigondeaux.
(Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)
(Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)
Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) is one of the supreme talents in the sport, but HBO stopped televising his fights following a boring Dec. 2013 win against Joseph Agbeko. Rigondeaux is a defensive-first, methodical boxer who is simply too good for his own good. Opponents don’t want to take risks against him, because he makes them pay with his power and his defense is too good to penetrate.
He won the WBO junior featherweight title in 2013, a wide decision victory against Nonito Donaire, who was the reigning boxing writers’ fighter of the year at the time.
Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KOs) is also one of the best pure fighters in the world. He’s as technically savvy as they come, and possesses the speed and power to complement his tremendous skills. Both he and Rigondeaux are counted among the best in the world, with Lomachenko rated No. 9 pound for pound by USA TODAY Sports/Boxing Junkie, and Rigo at No. 4.
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