Devin Haney believes that a victory over former #1 pound-for-pound fighter Vasily Lomachenko on Saturday will make him “the guy” in the 135-lb division and prove to the fans that he’s the best.
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) points out that the former three-division world champion Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) was compared to Muhammad Ali, and he feels that beating the future Hall of Famer, it will validate him and show that he’s the top dog at 135.
The problem with Haney’s faulty logic is that Lomachenko is now 35 years old, and has NOT looked outstanding since moving up from the 130-lb division in 2018.
Lomachenko looked terrible in his last fight in October against his ex-sparring partner Jamaine Ortiz and was lucky to win that fight. Jamaine made Lomachenko look old.
If Haney wants to prove he’s “the man” at 135, he’s picked the wrong fighter. For Haney to show that he’s the best at lightweight, he must beat Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson because those two are considered to be the two best fighters at 135.
Haney is viewed as the #3 guy at lightweight behind Tank & Shakur, and that won’t change by him beating the 35-year-old Lomachenko on Saturday night.
Even if Haney beats Lomachenko, he won’t convince the boxing public that he’s better than Tank Davis and Shakur Stevenson, especially if he clinches nonstop as he did in his last two fights against George Kambosos Jr.
Andre Ward: “You get all the belts [by beating George Kambosos Jr in 2022], you get back to the States, and then you went and did it again. Do you feel like you get that undisputed respect when you walk on the streets?”
Devin Haney: “I think it’s definitely up for debate. If I’m the guy in the weight class, if I’m the man, and I just beat a guy [Kambosos] that got lucky and upset Teo [Lopez]. That’s why this fight is so important to me because Loma is the guy that everyone chose [years ago when he was still in his prime before he hit his mid-30s].
“They said he was pound-for-pound #1. He was the greatest since [Muhammad] Ali. So now I get the chance to prove that I’m that guy.”
Andre Ward: “You beat Vasily Lomachenko. What does that do for your legacy?”
Devin Haney: “It does everything. It solidifies me. Loma is a future Hall of Famer. So with a Hall of Famer on my resume is everything where I’m at in my career. I don’t want to just go in and win. I want to show how much more dominant that I am and how much better I am than him.”
