Is Lomachenko Luring Mayweather Into A Superfight?

By Scoop Malinowski

WBO Super Featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko called out Gervonta Davis to a 2018 showdown this week.

Though Davis held the IBF Super Featherweight title, Lomachenko believes he is being protected by his manager Floyd Mayweather.

“FloydMayweather It would have been an honor to fight you in your prime but I’m not talking about you. Please stop hiding your fighter,” Lomachenko tweeted.

Mayweather responded to Fight Hype: “If Lomachenko is what they say he is, I think they should make him and Mikey Garcia…I mean, that’s just my honest opinion…great fighters always move up…we call that legendary…a lot of fighters are taking shots at Tank…at the end of the day…Tank is not perfect, but his boxing record is.”

Mikey Garcia currently holds a lightweight title at 135 and contested his last fight at 140 and his next fight is against IBF 140 pound champ Sergey Lipinets in February.

Mayweather’s attempt to deflect Lomachenko off his fighter Davis and onto Garcia is considered highly unlikely considering that Garcia’s advisor Al Haymon has shown a vehement reluctance to do any business with Lomachenko’s promoter Bob Arum.

But now that Lomachenko has Mayweather’s attention and has initiated a public dialogue, it would be fascinating if Lomachenko suddenly turned the tables and dared to challenge Mayweather to a fight at 147. Lomachenko could even say, Yes I am following your advice Floyd Mayweather, I really don’t care about Garcia, I want the big dog, and I will move up to fight you if you want.

This would put enormous pressure on Mayweather to answer. Mayweather seems to be cynical about Lomachenko’s talent level and with his considerable height and weight advantages, Mayweather would be heavily favored – and it would be excellent way to dispose of the direct threat that Lomachenko poses to Davis.

Even if Mayweather turns down Lomachenko’s challenge, it would be a public relations bonanza for the Ukrainian juggernaut. If the public perception is that he challenged Mayweather and got turned down, it will only add mightily to his already extraordinary legacy.

And then there is always the possibility that Mayweather could take the bait and accept the fight, though that is highly unlikely given Mayweather’s tendency to avoid great fighters in their prime.

The fact that Lomachenko dared to say he would have loved to fight even a prime Mayweather is an aggressive offense to a sensitive control freak like Mayweather, who is accustomed to controlling the narratives at all times. Mayweather always shows insecurity when top fighters disrespect him or call him out.

Lomachenko has set himself up for an opportunity to fight Floyd Mayweather. If he continues to pressure Mayweather and increase their personal dispute, it could develop into something very, very special.