Vasyl Lomachenko Not Interested In 'Old Man' Pacquiao

Vasyl Lomachenko is a name that was once mentioned as a potential opponent for Manny Pacquiao. And while most boxers would jump at the chance to face the Filipino boxing icon, the Ukrainian said he prefers to take the long road and build up his name without the help of the aging boxer-senator.

Lomachenko, the WBA lightweight world champion, is scheduled to take the ring this weekend in an attempt to unify the world titles. He will be facing WBO champion Jose Pedraza. It will be the Ukrainian's first time since May when he defeated Jorge Linares of Venezuela.

Curiously, it will be interesting if Lomachenko is fully recovered from his injury. During that fight, the 30-year-old suffered a torn labrum and needed to undergo surgery in the same month. When asked about his condition, Lomachenko said that he is 100 percent ready for his return to the squared circle, Boxing Scene reported.

Pedraza will get to see if Lomachenko is indeed ready to slug it out on Saturday. Holding a 25-1 win-loss record with 12 knockouts, the Puerto Rican pug enters the fight with a three-fight win streak. He last fought Rey Beltran of Mexico and won via unanimous decision this past August to bag the WBO lightweight title.

Lomachenko is entering the fight as the obvious favorite, having lost only once in 12 fights. That loss was way back in March 2014 when he lost via split decision to Orlando Salido of Mexico for the vacant WBO Featherweight title.

As for Pacquiao, it was back in July when Lomachenko said that the only way the two would clash is if the 39-year-old boxer would drop down to 135-pounds.

“We have no interest [in moving up],” Klimas told Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports. “If Pacquiao can make 135, to come in and compete for [Lomachenko’s] WBA title, Vasyl is the champion in that weight class, it’s a possibility.”

Lomachenko apparently wants to build his name using a different route, opting to take on fighters who are in their prime. While he holds high regard for Pacquiao, he believes that the Filipino's time in boxing is done.

"I'm not disrespecting Pacquiao, but I don't want to make my name bigger because I beat an old legend. I have my own road. There are a lot of good fighters to fight who are comparable to me. He's old. I think his career is done. I don't want to become a legend in boxing because of him," Lomachenko said.