WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko in an interview with Vladimir Kobelkov told about the preliminary negotiations that were conducted on the fight against the legendary Filipino Manny Pacquiao, as well as their result.
"I can tell my point of view. In fact, when I was offered a fight with Pacquiao I was interested. First, because he's a legend. Secondly, because he is a great name, he's a top fighter. The only question was, at what weight will we fight?
"Pacquiao is now a 147 pound fighter, and now I am just trying to move to 135. If I immediately get into 147 or 140, it will be absolutely unreasonable and illogical from physiological point. Therefore, for the time being, specifically during this year, I will not take this fight. I will not fight him."
"Then, if a year later the question of fighting Pacquiao rises, and no matter what the result will be, they will say "you beat an old man, you beat him in your own weight", because it is clear that I will not fight in 147. If I box, it will be 140. They say "you drove him into your weight." Again [as with Rigondeaux] in this situation, I do not win anything."
"Therefore, I would like to appeal to all the fans: let's remove all ambitions, remove your knowledge of professional boxing and we will find logical reasons. I have my weight in which I perform. There are a lot of champions in my division - top boxers, young, promising and spectacular. And I, probably, will build my way and my career in this direction."
"The way the situation develops with Rigondeaux, than Pacquiao... It somehow smells. They may say he beat the little old man, now he is driving the old man into a kind of weight for himself, comfortable and again the old man is beaten. It smells a bit as if of some fake name. Therefore, I will move in the direction of modern boxing and modern names, who become champions together with me, and together with me after the ending of their boxing careers they will be big names".
"It's good that Pacquiao invites me to the fight. He wants to box. Very good, wonderful. I'm ready, but... I'm not ready. Honestly I have a huge desire to box. But a very important factor is my father's restraint. Father says that we do not need this fight. I think on the contrary, of course. For me, anyway, it doesn't matter if they say something or not. If there is a fight, a good fight, a fight with the famous boxer, I would like to fight, but there is always a "but".
