Bob Arum Curious About Whether Vasyl Lomachenko Rises To Jorge Linares Challenge

Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum is eager to see whether Vasyl Lomachenko is able to rise up to the challenge of moving up another weight class and beating Jorge Linares.

Lomachenko (10-1) last fought in December after he successfully defended his World Boxing Organization junior lightweight title against Guillermo Rigondeaux at The Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York.

The Ukrainian will now move up in weight to challenge Linares (44-3) for his World Boxing Association lightweight title when they clash May 12 as he looks to become a three-weight champion, having also won gold at featherweight.

Lomachenko is considered by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and was even praised by his promoter Arum as the best fighter he's seen since Muhammad Ali. However, the bigger Linares poses arguably his biggest task till date and Arum is curious to see how he fares.

"I've been a big Lomachenko fan from the beginning and as he has different challenges it really stirs me up because you want to see if he can rise to the challenge," Arum told BoxingScene. "This is a big challenge because Linares - if he [Lomachenko] beats him - his [Lomachenko] future opponents will all be bigger than he is. We have to remember that Lomachenko is really essentially a featherweight who is now rising to first junior lightweight, now lightweight and that's a challenge. I think he meets that challenge but it remains to be seen."

Lomachenko's stock has continually risen over the years with a lot of attention on his last fight with Rigondeaux.

And having fought at The Theater at Madison Square Garden twice, the 30-year-old's clash with Linares will headline at the main building of the iconic arena for the first time which Arum hailed as a landmark achievement.

"Absolutely no question about it," Arum said of Lomachenko fighting in the main building being an achievement. "It's one thing to fight at the Theater at the Garden, it's a lovely room but it's another thing to fight in the big building where so many of the greats fought."

"(Muhammad) Ali fought at the Garden, (Oscar) De La Hoya, (Miguel) Cotto — Manny(Pacquiao) never fought at the Garden, (Floyd) Mayweather never fought at the Garden. For Lomachenko to headline a card in the big building that's an achievement for any, any boxer."

Linares, though, plans on inflicting just the second defeat of Lomachenko's career, as he believes his size advantage will be a factor.

"Lomachenko has been protected as a professional, we have to see what he has because now he is facing a very experienced boxer in the best moment of his career. We will see what he brings," Linares said last month.

"It's going to be interesting, we're pretty technical fighters, it's a good fight. I'm right and he's left-handed. We will see how good he is going to be and then take advantage of the fact that I am bigger. We will see how he comes out, if he goes out to box or to attack, because he is going to face a fighter who is two times bigger than him."