Arnold Barboza (28-0) has anxiously awaited a shot at a world title.
The highly ranked super lightweight contender recently bypassed a WBO eliminator against Liam Paro when Paro’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing won the purse bid with a bid much smaller than his liking.
The 28-year-old Southern California native will now look to go in a different direction as he waits for his opportunity to fight for a belt.
Like many, he is very interested in the outcome of the May 20th lightweight showdown between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko that takes place at the MGM Grand Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Haney, who is the undisputed lightweight champion, is expected to move up to the super lightweight division after the showdown. He has made no secret of the difficulties he has had to squeeze down to the 135 pound lightweight limit.
Barboza has been looking for a big name opponent and would love to welcome Haney to the 140 pound division.
“I think that Haney will be too big and too long for Lomachenko,” Barboza told BoxingScene.com. “He’s been talking about moving up to 140 pounds for a while so hopefully we can make something happen if he does decide to move up to my weight class.”
Barboza was last in action in February when he defeated multi-division champion Jose Pedraza via unanimous decision.
He is currently the frontrunner to replace an injured Paro, who was scheduled to face WBC champion Regis Prograis on June 17.
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