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Lomachenko-Salido rematch talks get uglier

Fighters Network
09
Aug
Photo by: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Photo by: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

The hostility between managers for Vasyl Lomachenko and Orlando Salido reached new levels on Tuesday when Egis Klimas likened Salido’s handler, Sean Gibbons, to a “whore” who runs from promoter to promoter trying to extract the biggest payday.

This is no way to negotiate a rematch for the fall. But Klimas, who guides junior lightweight titleholder Lomachenko, described Gibbons’ latest maneuver in such terms. Gibbons, unhappy with the money he’s being offered to face Lomachenko, has spoken of breaking off talks with Top Rank to start discussing a fight with Japan’s Takashi Miura instead. Klimas described this as “probably” a negotiating ploy to try and get more money for the fight with Lomachenko. A message to Gibbons on Tuesday wasn’t immediately returned.

“Everybody has a different strategy,” Klimas told RingTV.com. “I’m loyal to my promoter (Top Rank). And I’m not running around like a whore. If they have a promoter in Mexico (Fernando Beltran), then they go to Golden Boy and then they go to Top Rank — who can pay you money if you’re running like a whore? Nobody wants you around. Stick around. Be loyal and then people are going to see you’re loyal and that’s how you’re going to get paid. But changing from one promoter to another promoter, I’m sorry, why on earth (would) Top Rank want to pay a million dollars to Salido for one fight, and then he’s going to run back to their promoter to Mexico and then Top Rank is left with nothing?”

Klimas said he wasn’t bothered by Gibbons insisting he has now turned his attention to making a fight between Salido and Miura. “I can’t give a flying (expletive) about them,” Klimas said. “I know that Lomachenko is going to be in the ring no later than November.”



At the same time, if Gibbons decides to adjust his expectations and agrees to the money he is being offered — said to be around $500,000 — Klimas said he would be happy to sign to fight Salido in the fall. Salido won a controversial split decision against Lomachenko in 2014 after he came in overweight.

“We will fight Salido, of course,” Klimas said. “But they have to decide what they want. Do they want money or do they want a fight? Or do they want both? And that’s probably not going to happen. Salido is saying, ‘I’m going to beat Lomachenko.’ Well, go fight and beat him and then you can ask for more money.”