Lomachenko nakalinya kay Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines — Handa si Bob Arum ng Top Rank Promotions na isagupa si Ukrainian star Vasyl Lomachenko kay Manny Pacquiao kung mananalo ang Filipino boxing legend kay Argentinian world welterweight king Lucas Matthysse.

Ngunit sinabi ni Arum na ang 39-anyos na Senador ang makakapagdesisyon dito.

“That’s up to Manny,” wika ni Arum. “Obviously for me having it in the United States is preferable because that’s where the PPV market is and that’s where were most comfortable.”

Kung maitatakda man ang laban nina Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) at Lomachenko (10-1-0, 8 KOs) ay posibleng hindi ito gagawin ni ‘Pacman’ sa United States.

“But there is a substantial tax that a foreigner has to pay in the U.S. withholding and Manny may not be amenable to doing that in which case he’ll look to hold the fight outside the country. If we or he find people who put up the money for the site,” ani Arum.

Nauna nang sinabi ni Michael Koncz, ang Canadian business manager ni Pacquiao na plano ng Filipino boxing superstar na labanan si Lomachenko sakaling manalo kay Matthysse.

“He has his eye on Lomachenko in the fall,” sabi ni Koncz. Nakatakdang hamunin ni Lomachenko, ang two-time Olympic Games gold medalist at may suot ng WBO super featherweight belt, si WBA lightweight world king Jorge Linares sa Mayo 12 sa Madison Square Garden sa New York City.

Hahamunin naman ni Pacquiao si Matthysse (39-4-0, 36 KOs) para sa suot nitong WBA welterweight crown sa Hul-yo 15 sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at sa kanyang paghahanda sa 35-anyos na si Matthysse ay hinirang ni Pacquiao ang kababatang si Buboy Fernandez bilang chief trainer kasabay ng paglalaglag kay Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.