Devin Haney’s hand was raised for the 30th time in 30 fights on Saturday, but instead of the typical shouts, many of the 14,436 fans at the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena gave him jeers instead.
After all, Vasiliy Lomachenko threw the more eye-catching punches, particularly toward the end of the fight. This gave the supporters the sense that he had taken the uncontested lightweight belt away from Haney. But it was Devin (30-0, 15 KOs) who came out on top because of the accuracy of his body punches and the right hands that left Lomachenko’s flank bloodied.
“The people can say what they want to say; the judges had a unanimous decision,” Haney explained. “That’s all that matters, the judges,” the speaker said. Every single judge had the same opinion.
According to the judges’ scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 115-113, Devin successfully overcame Lomachenko’s challenge in the most difficult bout of his professional career. This was accomplished by the boxer, who is 24 years old, by thwarting Lomachenko’s late effort to win the last round on all three scorecards. This victory was the deciding factor in whether or not the fight ended in a win or a draw.
And when Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) was able to bridge the distance early in the fight, Haney was there to push him back with an outstanding jab and a burrowing right hand to the body repeatedly.
“The bodywork won me the fight, so I knew I had to invest in that body,” said Haney, the boxer who holds the No. 10 spot in Online Betting Games PH‘s pound-for-pound rankings. “We watched a lot of footage on Loma; he was not the most significant admirer of body shots, so we adhered to the game plan, tearing him down.
“He would have some good moments during the round, but he wasn’t finishing the whole round strong because we invested in the body,” we explained.
After the bout, Haney stated that he demonstrated against a future Hall of Famer that he was the best guy at 135 pounds by winning the fight. However, he did not desire a rematch with his opponent. Haney has stated that he may compete at 140 pounds and wait to see how he feels before deciding on his four championships at 135 pounds, but he may also be through with the lightweight division for good.
Haney stated that losing his current weight of 135 is a complex task requiring much self-control. “For my size, I don’t look too bad. But, since I was 16 years old, I’ve always been at or around 135.
Haney, who has never signed a long-term promotional contract, is again a free agent, providing him the flexibility he needs. Since Haney has never signed a long-term promotional agreement, he can do whatever he wants. Suppose he decides to stick with Top Rank. In that case, he may target the victor of the junior welterweight title fight that will take place on June 10 between Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez Jr. If not, a bout against Shakur Stevenson, who challenged Haney in the ring and declared that Lomachenko deserved the nod over Haney, may be of tremendous interest.
Gervonta Davis, affiliated with PBC, is the most significant opponent that Haney could face in the near future. Devin and Eddie Hearn, his former promoter, could also look to engage in fights at 140 pounds with Regis Prograis and Jack Catterall, who are affiliated with Matchroom.
At this point, Haney should not be required to demonstrate his worth. But skeptics persist after witnessing Lomachenko’s performance at the age of 35, which came after Lomachenko’s lackluster showing against long-odds underdog Jamaine Ortiz, and especially after Lomachenko busted up Haney down the stretch with a spectacular flurry.
In spite of the fact that Lomachenko did not achieve his goal of becoming the undisputed champion, he demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that he is still one of the very finest boxers in the world. It is currently unknown who he will face next. Still, regardless of whether it is Stevenson, Davis, or any other top lightweight, Lomachenko would be a threat to win any of those bouts.
Lomachenko came very close to defeating Lopez despite suffering from a torn rotator cuff, but he claimed before his fight with Haney that he was in perfect physical condition. A Lomachenko performing at his peak level poses a threat to anyone. Top Rank is promoting both Stevenson and Lomachenko, so it would be a perfect fit for either of them to fight Haney next if the other did not win.
The Ukrainian Lomachenko, who has won gold at the Olympics twice, departs Haney’s hometown as the sentimental favorite and with a fresh start to his career. However, Haney is the one who walks away with the championships due to the victory that he unquestionably merited on his route to reaching greater heights.
“One star has set, and one star has risen,” said Haney’s father and trainer, Bill Haney. “One star has set, and one star has risen.” “It gives me great pleasure to proclaim that the king of boxing is Devin Haney. “In the words of Teddy Atlas, who once said to Timothy Bradley, “You have to be a fireman; you have to go through the fire,” and that is precisely what Devin did,”
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