How about a Leo Santa Cruz-Vasyl Lomachenko fight? Bob Arum says he’s in

Timing is everything, and a series of recent events could create a tremendous boxing match.

Veteran promoter Bob Arum is not getting the financial satisfaction he wants from the new head of HBO Sports, Peter Nelson, after Arum proposed a doubleheader card headlined by World Boxing Organization featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko of the Ukraine versus hard-hitting Nicholas Walters (26-0-1, 21 knockouts).

Arum became so frustrated last week he spoke of offering the fight to Showtime, and met with the premium cable network’s Vice President Stephen Espinoza last month to discuss it.

Many, rightfully so, chalked that discussion up to leveraging.

Previously, Arum and Espinoza have been rivals, given Espinoza’s close working ties with powerful boxing manager Al Haymon and Arum’s fierce dislike of Haymon.

Arum’s company, Top Rank, is suing Haymon, claiming antitrust violations.

But Espinoza just got finished televising a Saturday fight at Honda Center won by unbeaten World Boxing Assn. featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz that generated flat ratings.

And while Los Angeles product Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 knockouts) is represented by Haymon, he has expressed interest in fighting Lomachenko, a former two-time Olympic gold medalist.

So why not put Lomachenko-Santa Cruz on Showtime?

“I would accept that right now,” Arum told The Times on Tuesday night. “If they brought me Santa Cruz, we’d have Walters wait until later in the year.”

Again, there’s some jockeying at play, but that’s a bold stroke.

Santa Cruz, 27, continues to improve. In Saturday’s fifth-round knockout of Spain’s Kiko Martinez, he threw a staggering 570 punches, knocking down the former super-bantamweight world champion twice in the first round before stopping him with a 40-punch barrage in the fifth.

Critics have chided Haymon for overly protecting Santa Cruz, who showed his worth in beating former three-division world champion Abner Mares by majority decision in August.

An official familiar with the plans for Santa Cruz poured cold water on the idea of Lomachenko being next, explaining that both Santa Cruz and two-belt super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton of Ireland are pointing toward each other to fight next.

A fight overseas could generate a large gate and solid television numbers here and there, the official said, adding that the possibility of a Lomachenko bout would likely still exist afterward.

Lomachenko (5-1, three KOs) is still building his name recognition in the U.S., but fight fans know his skill and all-action tendencies.

If a matchup against Santa Cruz in Los Angeles is there for the taking now, however, you know what they say about striking while the iron is hot.