After forcing Guillermo Rigondeaux, one of boxing’s most avoided fighters, to retire on his stool, Vasyl Lomachenko is now at the top spot in many Pound for Pound top fighters lists.
Originally nicknamed ‘Hi-Tech’, before ‘The Matrix’ the Eastern European now jokingly refers to himself as ‘No MasChenko’, given that Cuban Rigondeaux was the fourth consecutive fighter to concede defeat mid fight.
But with so many options now available to the game, hungry fighter, who does Lomachenko look to for his first fight of 2018?
Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis
A prodigy of Floyd Mayweather Jr, ‘Tank’ would be an ideal matchup for Lomachenko. The fight would require the Ukrainian moving up in weight, however that hasn’t swayed his will, calling out Davis on Twitter.
Davis himself is in the early days of what looks to be a promising professional career, which may deter promoters who would want the fight to marinate, but with social media providing the perfect platform for bravado, the fight could succumb to fan demand and see two of the most promising young fighters make huge steps in conquering the lightweight division.
Mikey Garcia
Another fight to get fight fans salivating, another that would require an inevitable move up in weight for Lomachenko. An impressive demolition of Adrien Broner earlier this year saw Garcia stake his own claim in the upper realms of World Pound for Pound discussion.
Garcia exclusively told The Sportsman earlier this year he’d love to fight Jorge Linares next, but with that fight failing to materialise, Garcia himself moved up in weight to take on Super Lightweight IBF king Sergey Lipinets in a dangerous battle scheduled for Feb 2018.
With that fight on the horizon, Garcia may not be next in line for Lomachenko, but you can be sure the charming Californian will be on his radar.
Orlando Salido
The only man to put a (albeit controversial) blot on Lomachenko’s copy book, Orlando Salido is a dangerous warrior style fighter who actually fought, and lost on the same night Hi-Tech overcame Rigondeaux.
Having initially retired immediately after his firefight loss to Miguel Roman, Salido quickly reverted the decision, announcing he too will be back in 2018.
Potentially the only fight that could keep Lomachenko in his current division, as it would give the opportunity to right, what he claims was an unjust wrong from their first fight.
Miguel Berchelt
A fellow Super Featherweight title holder, Berchelt could tempt Loma into the ring as a chance to claim more titles at his current level.
Unfortunately for the Mexican fighter, he doesn’t represent the scale of casual interest a Davis or Garcia fight could, which would likely scupper any potential matchup, for the time being.
Jorge Linares
Admittedly more of a dream matchup at this moment, these two represent the beautiful craft of boxing at the very highest level. Master technicians, both have dazzled on the World stage, and although would require a move up for Lomachenko, it would be a mouth-watering contest that would surely propel the winner to undisputed Pound for Pound glory.
Notable Mentions
Miguel Roman – The man who defeated Orlando Salido last week would feel justifiably aggrieved should the Mexican beat him to a Lomachenko bout, but with no real reason for the Ukrainian to take risk, he likely has little clout at the negotiating table.
Manny Pacquiao – Almost too unlikely to mention, however being mentioned by Pacman’s long-term coach Freddie Roach, the question of ‘who would win’ has been asked by fight fans.
