Undisputed lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) and three-division world champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their PPV clash May 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Devin Haney: “I feel like he should have fought me four years ago. But now the time has come. It’s going to be worse for him than it would have been had we fought back then…on paper, this is my toughest test. But I look to make it an easy night. I look to make it as easy as possible and come out victorious.”
Vasiliy Lomachenko: “He is a high-level boxer. He understands boxing. He knows what he needs to do. He can use his reach. He can use his feet. He can create distance. But I have a lot of experience in this sport. It will be very interesting for me.”
Loma wins KO 5
Uhh. Hard to see that. If anything it’s be more like 11,12 when Haney is tiring a bit and Loma has consistently accumulated punches on the inside.
Loma: playing it cool as a cucumber. Doesn’t give Haney nothing to post on the wall and gives him a false sense of security. Haney still talking trying to convince himself. No matter what DMV says, Loma unanimous decision maybe majority decision since it is Vegas.
It’s a sad day when Haney is in a PPV main event. My prediction is a lot of boos, movement and postering.
Can’t wait to see Haney Vs Shakur in the future and see them break the step stat record. 400 000 steps landed, 15 total combined punches landed thru 12 rounds.
The ranks 3/10 in my PPV ranking which I will now create for each PPV
Hit and don’t get hit…
Haney: “But I look to make it as easy as possible”. In other words: Jab, jab, jab clinch. Jab, jab, jab, right hand, clinch. Jab, jab, clinch. Jab, clinch. Clinch, clinch, run, run, jab, clinch.
Haney graduated from the Hector Camacho/John Ruiz/Wladimir Klitschko school of “boxing”. At least those three had an excuse. Camacho got tagged by Edwin Rosario (though he got the W via decision) Ruiz got starched by David Tua and Klitschko was demolished by Corrie Sanders. None of them wanted to get nailed like that again. I imagine Haney knows something about his own beard if he’s performing in such a fearful manner without having eaten a really truly solid punch yet. One thing’s for certain, he’s not interested being remotely entertaining to watch in the slightest, and if no one’s entertained, good luck selling any tickets.
school of boxing? those names fought the names, have some respect…
Maybe they should have had some respect for the fans and provided exciting fights instead of holding onto their opponents like they were clinging to the edge of a cliff. Go back and watch fights when guys actually fought and threw more than 20 punches a round, landing 4-9 per round. When they want to provide me with some entertainment in the ring, maybe they’ll earn my respect. They certainly didn’t earn my money.
Another fanboy that believes this “sport” is legitimate and on the level and all of his fistic heroes are choir boys. They vast majority are palookas and criminals in some form or another. After 38 years of following this business (and it is first and foremost a BUSINESS), I tune in now only after the fight when I’m guaranteed a great fight or a knockout. You sit through this modern-day game of playground tag- hold-clinch at 60 or more bucks a pop. I’ve known better since 1997.
“I imagine Haney knows something about his own beard if he’s performing in such a fearful manner without having eaten a really truly solid punch yet.”
This has crossed my mind about Haney. Linares landed a right hand on him at the end of the 10th round in that fight, and Haney was clearly a bit wobbly going back to the corner. Not sure if Loma’s power will be enough to hurt him, but he is still fast and skillful enough to maybe touch that chin more than Haney is used to.
It may not take a big puncher. Speed and timing is power. Loma may be old and small, but he’s still a ringmaster. Haney is an oversized 135 pder with a painfully weak resume. Boxing’s a business, and Haney’s style is very bad for business. The judges might give Loma a W out of disgust, boredom, and right now in the US being Ukrainian is literally a license to print money.
Arum promotes Loma and Shakur Stevenson. Bob’s pockets are deep. That fight has much more marquee value than Haney-Stevenson.
And if anyone suggests that I gamble on it, they’re a fool to ever put money on a boxing match. Three judges can get away completely with scoring a fight incorrectly and have for decades. Not only is there the chance of a bad decision for the wrong guy, there’s draws, no-contests from headbutts, no-decisions from fouls, quick stoppages, etc.
I’m old and have been watching this for far too long to believe “this time will be different”.
At any rate, I’ll go out on a limb (though a very sturdy one IMO), and go with Loma by the scores of 116-112, 118 – 111, and 114-114, because, why not? I’m not spending any money on this thing one way or the other.
@AW Very good points. My gut feeling is still Haney, but I’ve been wrong plenty of times before, and I guess I can see how the powers that be may prefer a Loma W. I never buy PPV events anymore, but plan on watching this at a local sports bar. I doubt this will be a thriller, but it will be interesting to see how they deal with one another.
Pretty much what others have said. This will be an easy Haney win but an absolute stinker of a fight. Then Haney will bolt to 140 instead of fighting Shakur
Haney’s speed and youth will carry him through this fight. Let’s get on with the fight!
Y’all don’t know sh**t about boxing. The jab is the first punch that you learn in boxing, so, why not use it to great effect…Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis, The Klitchkos, Tommy Hearns, Oscar to name a few. If someone only has one tool in their arsenal, a good fighter should be able to exploit it, right? So, Loma throwing 13 punches a round for the first half of the fight and doing his two step dance moves from when he was a child ballerina while still not punching is entertaining? If your punching; how can someone hold you? He’s the 4th best lightweight in the world, deal with it; that’s not that bad. Haney all day and by UD.
And you know shite about boxing, my assets. It’s not the fact that he jabs, but he does it twice then throws a right hand then ties up. All the time. You can have a good jab, but that’s not gonna win the fight unless your fighting a punching bag. All of those guys you mention had right hands and a few of them also had a devastating left hooks. Loma doesn’t throw 13 punches a round and if he did, I would guess he was hurt. Haney fought a one dimensional kamboso, tough guy, but looked ugly. That’s his big fight to date. Haney is going to have trouble making weight and will drain himself. He loses to Loma. Now, You STFU and learn about boxing.
I don’t really have a problem with the scenario of Haney playing it safe and fighting cautiously. Better to fight smart and get the W than to be reckless and lose a winnable fight. He’s 29-0 so far doing what he does. It’s up to Loma to do something about it. Anybody who follows the sport even a little bit HAS to know that this will likely be a chess match and not a brawl, but I’m sure the vast majority here will still be watching. Haney should be fine when it comes to selling tickets and such as long as he keeps winning, especially considering the potential opponents in and around his weight class.
Excellent points. You are right, it’s all up to Loma to cut the ring off and make Haney uncomfortable. I am sure both fighters trained hard for a full distance fight. Have a good day today.
Really really hope Loma pulls this one of. Casuals don`t understand the talent of him. What a gift for boxing. Haney is boring af.
While Haney isn’t very exciting, Lomachenko sure isn’t either. Haney is much bigger and younger, and Lomachenko hasn’t exactly looked dominant recently. I’ll take Haney by decision. I doubt he can stop him, but I don’t see Lomachenko doing enough work to win.
One fighter collected the belts off many champs, one fighter took all the belts in one fight from a fighter who took all the belts in one fight……
hope they have decent judges and referee for this fight they are both good technicians loma could be a smarter fighter than haney loma should start fast and go for the tko stoppage and not leave it up to the judges
Lina is old and small for Haney
Haney by decicion
Please KEEP T. Weeks Away from this fight !!!
Vasiliy has one more great fight-This is IT
He wins this one-Haney is too stressed and overtrained
My sense is that Loma is ‘up’ for this fight. Cannot wait.
Loma is not the same today after his surgeries and after moving up to this weight class. He is too small but still he can be in competitive fights like this one thanks to his enormous talent and skills.
I think Loma will have a very hard time getting past Haney’s long and fast arms. I think Loma will also have a hard time mastering Haney’s quick feet and that he will have a hard time catching up Haney when he moves quickly backwards and to the side.
I think it will be a fairly flat fight, unless someone wins by KO, or similar, in any case, I can see how Haney safely taking most of the rounds without too much trouble.
Haney wins by numbers close to 118 – 112.
I really think Haney is going to come in drained or overweight. Just a feeling.
The youth and the size difference will be the keys for Haney’s victory. No way he would have beaten a younger hungrier version of Lomachenko.
Loma is one of the greatest of all times, amateurs or pros. His style was knew and his foot/hand precision was unseen before him.. Truly one of the best..
I still think Haney is over rated I think loma will expose him on fight night!!
Wake up casual boxing fans! Lamo has always fought guys bigger them him giving up reach and height; this is nothing new.
Simply put my heart is with the American Fighter but my money is with Lamo being victorious with a late stoppage in round 10.
Let’s hope the judges and referee don’t spoil this bout!
I think Jose’s uncle getting arrested will hurt haney
Haney is Devon Alexander but able to make 135..that era of junior welterweight and welterweights would have been too much for him