Firstly, this came out of Joe's mouth, not Lonergan's. So he'll look pretty stupid if it's not better than Haumono. Especially since he said it's a progression. With Lonergan, everyone knows he's a loudmouth, a man on a mission as Kiwi says.
I think he'll stay in the top 15 and fight different guys in the 4 alphabets. It'll help his ranking outside the IBF and WBO, where he's ranked at the top. So I'd look at the WBA and WBC's top ranked fighters. For instance, I'd go after #4 ranked Duhaupas for the WBC. He needs to position himself to eventually fight the WBC or WBA champ, as I think AJ is not reachable in the immediate future. He'll try to unify. Fury or Klit would be huge, as would Haye. Battle of Britain.
As an alternative, I'd go after Price or Chisora, who are better than Haumono and close to Takam's level, and get on the AJ undercard.
As a mandatory challenger, fighters will now travel to NZ for a chance at the mandatory.
I think he'll stay in the top 15 and fight different guys in the 4 alphabets. It'll help his ranking outside the IBF and WBO, where he's ranked at the top. So I'd look at the WBA and WBC's top ranked fighters. For instance, I'd go after #4 ranked Duhaupas for the WBC. He needs to position himself to eventually fight the WBC or WBA champ, as I think AJ is not reachable in the immediate future. He'll try to unify. Fury or Klit would be huge, as would Haye. Battle of Britain.
As an alternative, I'd go after Price or Chisora, who are better than Haumono and close to Takam's level, and get on the AJ undercard.
As a mandatory challenger, fighters will now travel to NZ for a chance at the mandatory.