By Edward Chaykovsky
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38KOs) is open to the idea of facing two-time Olympic gold medal winner Vasyl Lomachenko (6-1, 4KOs) at the lightweight limit of 135-pounds.
As reported last week on BoxingScene.com, Bob Arum - who promotes both fighters under the Top Rank banner - believes that match can be done at a catch-weight between lightweight and junior welterweight. Arum believes Pacquiao could get down as low as the lightweight limit of 135 if he wanted to.
Lomachenko only recently moved up to the super featherweight limit of 130-pounds and he's willing to do the fight - if it takes place at 135. He doesn't have any motivation to move up by 10 full pounds to fight Pacquiao. He views such as move as giving away too much of a size advantage.
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, wants the fight at junior welterweight.
"If this fight will be at 135 weight category - I'm ready. At 135 - I'm ready. At 140, no - it's too big for me. My [walking] weight now is 138," Lomachenko explained to BoxingScene.com.
Pacquiao admits that he's capable of getting down to 135-pounds. He hasn't fought at that weight since 2008. In the fall of that year is when he jumped from 135 to 147 to fight Oscar De La Hoya.
Since fighting at 147, Pacquiao is forced to eat his way to the welterweight limit. For Vargas, he weighed in at a shade over 144.
“Imagine me back at 135 pounds?” Pacquiao said. “I can do it; 140 is my natural weight. I need to eat five times a day to make 147 and sometimes I throw up from eating too much.”
While Roach agrees that Pacquiao is capable of making 135, he won't allow the fight happen unless it takes place at junior welterweight.
"I know [he said 135], but I say 140," Roach said. "[Lomachenko's] dad is in charge, he has his own methods. After his first two years of boxing, his father took him out and put him in ballet. His footwork is unbelievable so maybe it was a good move for him. I think it's a great fight for Manny."
"He is a very good puncher at 140. He is a lot better puncher at 140 than 147. At 147, by the time these guys gets in there they are 155, 160. They are able to take more damage and that's one of the reasons that Manny hasn't had a lot of knockouts [at welterweight]."
Lomachenko is back on November 26th at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, when he takes on Nicholas Walters in a highly anticipated fight.