Manny Pacquiao, 39 years old, is looking to close 2018 with a bang.

On Monday, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya announced that a deal had been reached with Pacquiao to challenge Argentina's World Boxing Association "regular" welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse.

The fight is scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur on July 14th.

Pacquiao has been inactive since July of 2017, when he traveled to Australia and lost his WBO welterweight title to local star Jeff Horn in a big upset.

He's expecting a very tough outing against Lomachenko.

"This is going to be a tough fight. Matthysse is also a knockout artist. But I'm excited to fight and be a world champion again," Pacquiao said.

"I'm the underdog in this fight but I'm used to it. It serves as a big motivation for me to train and fight hard to win the crown."

Matthysse, who has 39 wins including 36 by knockout against four defeats, won the vacant WBA belt after beating Thailand's Teerachai Sithmorseng in January.

Beyond a fight with Matthysse, Pacquiao is eyeing a showdown with two-time Olympic gold medial winner Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs).

Michael Koncz, who manages Pacquiao, said a contest with Lomachenko would take place at the junior welterweight limit of 140-pounds.

"He has his eye on Lomachenko in the fall," Koncz told the Los Angeles Times.

Lomachenko, who holds the WBO super featherweight title, will return to the ring next month in an attempt to capture his third divisional belt when he challenges WBA lightweight world champion Jorge Linares. The contest takes place on May 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Pacquiao's performance in July will play a big role in getting Lomachenko in the ring. Last year, Lomachenko's handlers threw water at the idea of facing Pacquiao - claiming the Filipino boxer was way past his best.