By Keith Idec

Bob Arum claims Gervonta Davis wouldn’t even have to move up to the lightweight limit of 135 pounds if he wants to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Arum expects Lomachenko to move back down to 130 pounds after defeating England’s Luke Campbell on Saturday night and facing the Richard Commey-Teofimo Lopez winner in his following fight. The unique Ukrainian southpaw’s promoter doesn’t think that’ll entice Floyd Mayweather, Davis’ promoter, to make a Lomachenko-Davis fight, either.

Arum assumes Mayweather won’t sign off on Lomachenko-Davis until the retired superstar believes Davis would win that fight.

“If Floyd felt Davis had a shot to beat Lomachenko, Floyd would make the fight,” Arum told krikya360.com following the Lomachenko-Campbell press conference Thursday in London. “I mean, we have very good relationships with Floyd and [Mayweather Promotions CEO] Leonard Ellerbe. He probably doesn’t feel that Davis would be competitive now with Lomachenko. And, you know, Davis is a young fighter.”

The 24-year-old Davis (22-0, 21 KOs), the WBA’s “super” 130-pound champ, and the 31-year-old Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs), a three-weight world champion, have one common opponent – Jose Pedraza.

Baltimore’s Davis dominated and stopped Puerto Rico’s Pedraza (26-2, 13 KOs) in the seventh round of their January 2017 fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Lomachenko knocked down Pedraza twice during the 11th round and beat him by unanimous decision in their 12-rounder December 8 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.

None of Davis’ five subsequent opponents were as good as Pedraza. Lomachenko, meanwhile, also has beaten previously undefeated fighters Gary Russell Jr., Nicholas Walters and Guillermo Rigondeaux, as well as Jorge Linares, since he turned pro in October 2013.

“You have to understand with Lomachenko,” Arum said, “it’s not only the professional fights that he’s had, but it’s that vast amateur experience that nobody else has. Nobody else has been in 397 amateur fights, won two [Olympic] gold medals. So, you know, if Floyd feels Davis is not ready to fight Lomachenko, I go along with Floyd. I mean, you know, again, if Floyd really believed right now that Davis could beat Loma, he’d do the fight in two seconds.”

Lomachenko and Campbell (20-2, 16 KOs) will fight for Lomachenko’s WBA and WBO lightweight titles and the vacant WBC 135-pound crown Saturday night at O2 Arena in London.

Their scheduled 12-rounder will headline a Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view show in the United Kingdom (£19.95; 6 p.m. BST). ESPN+ will stream Lomachenko-Campbell as the main event of a multi-fight show in the United States (1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT). 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.