Tweet
Now we talking HBO!!
http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/p...eader-in-cards
Two of Top Rank’s best fighters are featherweight titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko and junior welterweight titlist Viktor Postol, neither of whom have anything scheduled. But Top Rank bossman Bob Arum is trying to change that and told ESPN.com that he is pitching a “Boxing After Dark” doubleheder to HBO that would feature both of them.
Arum said, ideally, he would match Lomachenko with former featherweight titlist Nicholas Walters, who lost his belt because he was overweight for a defense last June, in the main event.
“We’d like to do that fight and we’ve offered a card to HBO,” Arum said. “We’ll do Lomachenko against Walters or anybody else HBO wants. They say they are considering it and we’re waiting to hear back.”
Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs), the brilliant 28-year-old former two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist, has made three title defenses, most recently a one-sided 10th-round knockout of Romulo Koasicha in November on the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Brandon Rios undercard.
Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs), 30, of Jamiaca, fought his last bout in December at junior lightweight -- a draw against Jason Sosa that virtually everybody saw as an easy Walters win -- but has maintained that he can still fight at featherweight.
Arum said he is also willing to match Postol (28-0, 12 KOs), 32, of Ukraine, with anyone but would like to do a fight against Chicago’s Adrian Granados (17-4-2, 12 KOs), 26, whose record is very deceiving. He has won four fights in a row, including a major upset of then-undefeated Amir Imam, whom he knocked out in the eighth round in November. Imam was Postol’s mandatory challenger but took the fight to stay busy and paid the price.
All of Granados’ losses are by split or majority decision, three against undefeated opponents: Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez and Brad Solomon.
In a very impressive performance, Postol claimed a vacant world title in October by 10th-round knockout of Lucas Matthysse in an upset.
“I’d like to do Postol with Granados since he beat the guy who was Postol’s mandatory. I think that adds some spice to the fight and the kid deserves it after that win,” Arum said. “We’d like to do the card as soon as possible but, again, we’re waiting on HBO to give us an answer.”
Arum said, ideally, he would match Lomachenko with former featherweight titlist Nicholas Walters, who lost his belt because he was overweight for a defense last June, in the main event.
“We’d like to do that fight and we’ve offered a card to HBO,” Arum said. “We’ll do Lomachenko against Walters or anybody else HBO wants. They say they are considering it and we’re waiting to hear back.”
Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs), the brilliant 28-year-old former two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist, has made three title defenses, most recently a one-sided 10th-round knockout of Romulo Koasicha in November on the Timothy Bradley Jr.-Brandon Rios undercard.
Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs), 30, of Jamiaca, fought his last bout in December at junior lightweight -- a draw against Jason Sosa that virtually everybody saw as an easy Walters win -- but has maintained that he can still fight at featherweight.
Arum said he is also willing to match Postol (28-0, 12 KOs), 32, of Ukraine, with anyone but would like to do a fight against Chicago’s Adrian Granados (17-4-2, 12 KOs), 26, whose record is very deceiving. He has won four fights in a row, including a major upset of then-undefeated Amir Imam, whom he knocked out in the eighth round in November. Imam was Postol’s mandatory challenger but took the fight to stay busy and paid the price.
All of Granados’ losses are by split or majority decision, three against undefeated opponents: Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez and Brad Solomon.
In a very impressive performance, Postol claimed a vacant world title in October by 10th-round knockout of Lucas Matthysse in an upset.
“I’d like to do Postol with Granados since he beat the guy who was Postol’s mandatory. I think that adds some spice to the fight and the kid deserves it after that win,” Arum said. “We’d like to do the card as soon as possible but, again, we’re waiting on HBO to give us an answer.”
Comment