By Elisinio Castillo

Venezuela's Jorge Linares, who holds the WBA lightweight championship, is clear about his future - he wants to fight two-time Olympic gold medal winner Vasyl Lomachenko.

Lomachenko is scheduled to return on May 12 at New York's Madison Square Garden, with ESPN televising. But there is a conflict over the date, as Linares' promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, already have plans for that date on rival network HBO.

Golden Boy is ready to make the fight on any other date - or on May 12 on HBO, which already plans to showcase the pay-per-view replay of the Canelo-Golovkin rematch that night.

Linares could care less about the network, he just wants the fight.

Lomachenko's promoter, Top Rank, is not budging on the date or the television network.

"I do not care about television, I care about the fight," Linares told Rowerth Goncalves.

"There is talk of a date, on May 12 in New York. It's a dream to fight at Madison Square Garden. The main detail is the date of the fight and the television network. Lomachenko wants it, I want it and the promoters want it - the problem is the day.

Linares is the much bigger man, but he would likely be the big underdog in a contest with Lomachenko.

"It's about the opportunity and how you are physically and mentally ready," said Linares. "I love fighting with lefties, they do not frustrate me. I am confident in defeating him. I have already beaten lefties. Why not this time?"

The way things are looking right now, Lomachenko is still going forward with the date of May 12 - and the frontrunner to face him is newly crowned WBO lightweight champion Ray Beltran, who won the vacant belt last Friday with a twelve round decision over Paulus Moses in Reno. Both Lomachenko and Beltran share the same promoter in Top Rank.