Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko embrace make-or-break matchup
Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko both have golden opportunities on May 20.
For Haney, the undisputed 135-pound champion, it’s his best chance yet to prove he is what he says he is – one of the best handful of fighters in the world. For Lomachenko, it’s an opportunity to reclaim past glory at 35.
They’re scheduled to meet on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“I’m blessed to be here,” Haney said at the kickoff news conference Thursday. “It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve been wanting this fight since 2019. I’ve been begging for it and calling for it. The time has finally come.”
The soft-spoken Lomachenko wasn’t as effusive as Haney but he knows what’s at stake.
“I’m excited for May 20,” he said. “This is my second chance, and I will try my best. Thank you to Team Haney for the opportunity. We are all prepared for this.”
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) has been on steep trajectory. The gifted technician’s last four fights are as follows:
One-sided decision over former three-division beltholder Jorge Linares in May 2021, his breakthrough victory.
Another clear decision over a former champ, Joseph Diaz Jr., in December of that year.
A dominating performance en route to a unanimous decision over George Kambosos Jr. last June in Australia to become undisputed lightweight champ.
And a repeat of that result in the rematch with Kambosos four months later, again in the loser’s home country.
That run has lifted him onto many pound-for-pound lists, including Boxing Junkie’s (No. 15). And he’s only 24.
“The better the opposition, the better I am,” Haney said. “Loma is a good fighter. But I’m on a totally different level. On fight night, the world will see that. The world will see how good Devin Haney really is.”
The world has already seen how good Lomachenko is – or was, depending on where he stands at the moment.
Arguably the greatest amateur fighter of all time became a three-division champion in his first 12 pro fights, a remarkable feat even if you think the value of titles have become diluted. As a result, he became recognized by many as the best fighter on the planet.
That changed when he lost his undisputed 135-pound championship to Teofimo Lopez by decision in October 2020, although he entered that bout with a shoulder injury.
He has fought only three times since, including a single fight – a wide decision over Jamaine Ortiz last October – since Russia invaded his native Ukraine in February of last year.
“You can’t think about your future when there’s a war coming to your house,” he said. “You just think about life and about your family and about the people around you. You think about how you can live another day. You can’t think about your job. You can’t think about a professional sport.”
The Ukrainian government has encouraged its athletes to compete to raise the morale of its people, though.
The Ortiz fight marked his return. And now he’ll be taking part in his first truly major event since the setback against Lopez, who went on to lose his titles to Kambosos. A victory would allow him to climb back up the pound-for-pound lists – he’s No. 11 at Boxing Junkie now – and regain all the belts he lost if he has his hand raised.
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) has always been a supremely confident fighter but he made no bold predictions for the fight with Haney.
“We never know what will happen,” he said. “We can prepare for one strategy, but in the ring it can all change. Right now, I don’t know. I just train hard and prepare. I believe in God and in my team.”
