Anthony Crolla fully deserves a fight against Vasyl Lomachenko and would be willing to challenge the Ukrainian star in America, says trainer Joe Gallagher.
The Mancunian defeated Daud Yordan on points in a WBA final eliminator to secure a mandatory fight with WBA lightweight champion Lomachenko, who faces WBO title holder Jose Pedraza in a unification clash on December 8.
Lomachenko will be a red-hot favourite to overcome Pedraza, having conquered pound-for-pound rivals Jorge Linares and Guillermo Rigondeaux in his last two fights, and Gallagher will then push for a title defence against Crolla.
"He's mandatory now," Gallagher told Sky Sports. "Obviously Lomachenko now defends against Pedraza in December.
"I'm sure the governing body will be putting the mandatory status on the champion, and it will have to go out to purse bids.
"Anthony Crolla is in a great position here now. We just have to sit back, and like Eddie Hearn says, see the purse bids take their toll."
Crolla formerly held the WBA belt before suffering back-to-back defeats against Linares, but Gallagher believes he has earned the opportunity to battle another of the sport's elite fighters after rebuilding with three victories.
He said: "Lomachenko, whether the fight would happen here in the UK at The Manchester Arena, or whether we may have to go to Madison Square Garden, I think it's a great opportunity for Anthony Crolla to challenge himself against one of the best in the world.
"Somebody has to fight Lomachenko, Lomachenko has to defend against somebody, and Anthony Crolla has done a fantastic job since losing to Linares to come back and put himself in the driving seat.
"He beat Ricky Burns, a three-weight world champion, he just beat the Mexican, and then he had a great win against No 2 in the WBA rankings, so no-one can say Anthony Crolla has been given this opportunity.
"He's worked hard for it, and no-one should be able to deny him that opportunity of testing himself against the best in the world."