By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is targeting December 9 for WBO super featherweight champion Vasly Lomachenko against either Guillermo Rigondeaux or Orlando Salido. According to Lance Pugmire, the location for a fight against Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs) would in New York. If Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs) fights Salido (44-13-4, 31 KOs), it would be in Los Angeles, California.
The boxing public is really interested in seeing Lomachenko fight Rigondeaux, but he’s not seemed eager to make that fight in the last 3 years. Rigondeaux has been up for a fight against Lomachenko from day one, but the fight has never happened for some reason. The latest news has Lomachenko wanting to stay at 130 and Rigondeaux having to move up 2 entire divisions to accommodate him. Rigondeaux is willing to move up in weight just to make the fight happen.
”Told by Bob Arum that he’s eyeing Dec. 9 for Vasyl Lomachenko’s next fight, either in NY vs. Rigo El Chacal or LA vs. Siri Salido,” said Lance Pugmire on his Twitter.
If Lomachenko is FINALLY going to fight Rigondeaux, then he should make it a fair fight by meeting him halfway by moving down to 126 for the fight instead of having him move up 2 divisions to take the fight. If Lomachenko wants to get credit for beating Rigondeaux from the boxing fans, then he’s going to have to meet him at the halfway point.
Lomachenko, 29, already fought Salido and lost to him 3 years ago in 2014. There’s no point in them fighting again, as Salido is now 36, not the fighter he once was, and he’s won only 1 fight since 2014 and that was his recent victory over little known journeyman Aristides Pere on May 27. Salido was hurt badly in that fight. It was not a good performance from him.
If Lomachenko is going to fight Salido in his next fight, then it’s not going to be a great fight. Salido already showed that he was the superior fighter to Lomachenko 3 years ago when the Mexican fighter was still hanging on to the last stages of his prime. Unfortunately, Salido is no longer in his prime now. If Lomachenko needs to show that he can beat Salido no matter what, then that’s pretty sad because the guy is old and not the same guy any longer. It’s too late for Lomachenko to erase the fact that he was whipped by Salido. Beating him now won’t prove anything. Salido solved Lomachenko’s style in beating him in 2014. Salido showed that if you ignore Lomachenko’s head and focus on throwing only body shots, he’ll wilt and hold like mad. That’s what we saw from Lomachenko. He was clinching like crazy to try and get Salido from hitting him with body shots. The referee should have taken off multiple points for the excessive clinching by Lomachenko.