By Steve Kim

During his in-studio visit to 'the 3 Knockdown Rule' with Mario Lopez last Friday, WBA lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KOs) stated that his preference was to plant his flag for a bit at 135, after winning titles in three weight divisions in just a dozen fights.

Lomachenko, who was just a couple of days removed from surgery to repair a torn right labrum suffered during his May 12th bout with Linares, stated that he wants to take part in unification bouts in the lightweight division - and has a target on WBC champion Mikey Garcia, WBO champion Ray Beltran and IBF champion Robert Easter. 

"I'll stay at 135 and want to unify the titles with Mikey (Garcia) and with Beltran and maybe Easter. To me, it doesn't matter. I want to unify," Lomachenko said.

Last week, Lomachenko's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, stated that it was his belief that Loma's weight threshold would be the junior welterweight limit of 140-pounds.

"I don't know [if I'll go to 140]," said Lomachenko, when this issue was brought up, ''because this weight, 135, I feel smaller than my opponent. I feel it. But I don't know, we'll see. We need to wait a couple years."

It was evident that by the time they both stepped into the ring at New York's Madison Square Garden that Linares was the significantly bigger man.

"We go into the ring together, I saw him after the weigh-in, I think, 'Oh, he's big now,' a bit different," said Lomachenko.

So table any talk of him moving up another weight class.

"It's too early to talk about this now I'm at 135. I want to stay a couple of years at 135. We'll see," Lomachenko said.

His manager, Egis Klimas, who accompanied him on the show, added, "Dominate 135, not just stay - dominate."

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.