By Keith Idec
The purse bid the WBC has ordered for the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Luke Campbell lightweight title fight probably won’t be necessary.
The WBC has postponed that purse bid multiple times and rescheduled it again this week for Wednesday. BoxingScene.com has learned, though, that the two sides are expected to come to an agreement before having to bid.
Their promoters, Bob Arum (Lomachenko) and Eddie Hearn (Campbell), have come close to finalizing a deal and the remaining financial issues likely will be resolved before Wednesday. Hearn told multiple media outlets earlier this week that if they go to purse bid that the fight would take place in the United States.
Assuming Arum and Hearn come to an agreement, however, Lomachenko and Campbell are expected to fight August 31 at O2 Arena in London. The 12-round bout between these Olympic gold medalists would be broadcast by ESPN in the United States and on pay-per-view, via Sky Sports Box Office, in the United Kingdom.
They’ll fight for the WBC lightweight championship Mikey Garcia gave up when he decided to continue competing above the 135-pound lightweight limit.
Facing Campbell (20-2, 16 KOs) in London would mark the pro debut in the UK for Ukraine’s Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs), who has fought almost exclusively in the United States since he turned pro in October 2013.
Lomachenko, 31, won the second of his Olympic gold medals in London at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Campbell, also 31, won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics as well.
England’s Campbell was willing to fight emerging American Devin Haney (22-0, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC crown. Hearn announced early last month that a deal was in place for Campbell and Haney to meet July 27 for that title.
The following week, the WBC mandated a bout between Campbell and Lomachenko for its unclaimed lightweight championship.
Campbell is ranked No. 1 by the WBC and is its mandatory lightweight championship challenger. Lomachenko is not ranked by the WBC, but he holds the WBA and WBO lightweight titles and wants to full unify the championships in that division.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
