'Technically perfect' Vasyl Lomachenko 'the greatest fighter I've seen since Muhammad Ali' says Bob Arum

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has heaped praise on WBO junior lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko by comparing him yet again to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

The Ukrainian will defend his title against Guillermo Rigondeaux on 9 December in what will be a contest between two Olympians who have won two gold medals each, as well as boasting dominant amateur boxing records.

The winner of the bout is also likely to stake a claim for the unofficial title of the world's best pound-for-pound boxer in the eyes of fighters, fans and the media.

While speaking about his fighter and his development from his amateur days, Arum – who promoted Ali back in the day – could not help but make the comparison once again with Lomachenko.

"The kid used the word 'development'," Arum told BBC Radio. "The fact that he had to get used to fighting 12 rounds, you know, because in amateur boxing, it was three rounds or four rounds. That was the adjustment he had to make.

"But I am telling you without any reservation that Vasyl Lomachenko is the greatest fighter that I've seen since Muhammad Ali.

"So to say that there has been development and for me to take even a modicum of credit for that development would not be correct. This guy Lomachenko, I have never seen a fighter as technically perfect as he is."

With Rigondeaux (17-0-1 record) moving up eight pounds and two weight divisions for the Madison Square Garden super fight in New York, the Cuban is the underdog against Lomachenko. However, Arum praised the unbeaten WBA bantamweight champion by calling him "a tremendous fighter".

"We haven't talked a lot about Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux is phenomenal," Arum added. "He's another guy who has raised eyebrows through his amateur boxing career. He's a tremendous, tremendous fighter. You have to be a tremendous fighter to win two Olympic gold medals.

"The reason he hasn't been marketable is because he has that Cuban style where you win the early rounds from your opponent and then you coast. Lomachenko is always in there, he's boxing, looking for openings but the [his] end result is to destroy your opponents."

Despite a 9-1 record in boxing, Lomachenko is already highly respected in the combat sports world, with featherweight champion Max Holloway recently stating that he used "Hi Tech" as his inspiration for his recent win over Jose Aldo at UFC 218.

And by the time Lomachenko retires, Arum hopes the 29-year-old will be regarded as the greatest fighter of all time.

"That's my goal because I'm not going to have any real part of that except to get him the fights necessary so that people will claim him as that when he retires, as the greatest fighter of all time, and mention him in the same breath as Ali, Ray Robinson and fighters like that," Arum explained.