Vasyl Lomachenko steps into boxing spotlight before May-Pac (The Associated Press)

Manny Pacquiao did it on the undercard of Lennox Lewis’ victory over Mike Tyson, and Vasyl Lomachenko is thrilled to have the same opportunity before Pacquiao takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday night. When millions tune in to the most anticipated boxing show in recent years, the first fight they’ll see is a title defense by Lomachenko, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine who won the WBO featherweight belt in just his third professional bout last year. ”It’s an opportunity for millions of people to see what I can do,” Lomachenko said Thursday through his manager and translator, Egis Klimas. ”It’s always good when you know people have confidence in you and want to see you fight.” Top Rank boss Bob Arum eagerly bestowed his company’s only spot on the Mayweather-Pacquiao pay-per-view card on Lomachenko (3-1, 1 KO), who signed a new five-year promotional contract with Top Rank on Thursday.