Undisputed lightweight champion Devin ‘The Dream’ Haney weighed in at 134.9 lbs and Vasyl Lomachenko weighed in right at the limit at 135 pounds for their 12-round clash on ESPN PPV this Saturday, May 20th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) doesn’t look drained at all, and he seems to have done a much better job of managing his weight for this camp than he did in his last two fights against George Kambosos Jr in 2022.
It’s going to be interesting to watch how Lomachenko neutralizes Haney’s jab and his holding. Both will be difficult for Lomachenko, especially the clinching, because Haney uses that tactic after every punch to keep from getting hit. As much holding Haney uses in his fights, it’s clearly against the rules, but he’s never penalized and has a system going.
The winner of Haney vs. Lomachenko will have two potential options of either defending against Gervonta Davis or Shakur Stevenson.
Considering the way Gervonta has been matched during his career, his management with choose not to put him in with the Haney-Lomachenko winner to avoid him potentially losing. As such, Shakur is the more likely guy that will face Haney or Loma next.
Did Haney have a mole in Loma’s camp?
Devin Haney: “It’s the truth. He knows what he’s training for to try and punch on the break and do things like that. We’ve seen him do it in the past. That’s what he’s been training for. So yeah, he knows what I’m talking about,” said Haney to Top Rank Boxing.
Vasyl Lomachenko: “No.”
Haney: “He can’t even say it with a straight face.”
Lomachenko: “I don’t understand what he means.”
Haney: “You don’t know what I’m talking about?”
Lomachenko: “One more time, please.”
Haney: “How you’re training to punch on the break. When the ref say, ‘Break,’ you want to punch.”
Lomachenko: “Where? When?”
Haney: “That’s what you’re training for.”
Lomachenko: “How do you know?”
Haney: “Because I know.”
Lomachenko: “How?”
Haney: “Because I know.”
Lomachenko: “Okay, live with this mind.”
Haney: “Just like I said, you’re training to slip the jab. I know.”
Lomachenko: “Okay, if you prepare for this, it’ll be easy for you.”
Haney: “It will.”
Devin says he’ll be same size as Loma on Saturday
Lomachenko: “He didn’t have any other option. It is the most interesting fight for him. If he goes up to 140, I don’t think he will fight for a title right now with the top fighter. At 135, it’s a most interesting fight with me.”
Haney: “I agree. This is a fight that I’ve been wanting for a long time. It’s the best against the best. It puts my name in the history books forever. He’s a future Hall of Famer. Once I beat him, I’ll be heading down that same road.
“This is a fighter that a lot of fighters wouldn’t fight. This is a voluntary defense for me. I don’t have to fight him, but this is a fight that I truly want to put my name in the history books and stamp my name as the best in the world.”
Lomachenko: “I said before. He’s a world champion, and he understands boxing. His speed, feet, feel the distance. Hee knows what he needs to do in the ring.
“I think it’ll be the same weight [for Haney as other fighters on fight night] as before with Campbell, Commey, Ortiz, Nakatani. They are the same size, but different style, different techniques, different skills. It will be very hard, but it’s real.”
Haney: “Everybody can talk about how big I am, but guys like Pedraza, he’s up at 140, and Commey went up to 140. These guys are fighting in a bigger weight class than I am. These guys are the same size as me. Nakatani and Luke Campbell are taller.
“They keep making it as a weight thing, and I’m much bigger. I make the 135-lb limit just like everybody else. My size is the same size as him when we get in that ring. Size never mattered until now. I never heard him bring up size.
“He didn’t say anything about Jermaine Ortiz’s size. He’s not saying anything about Commey, Luke Campbell, none of them. All of a sudden, size matters.”
Lomachenko: “It’s different.”
Haney: “You signed up for it.”
Lomachenko: “You’re right. So I don’t have a question.”
Haney: “Me neither. I think there’s pressure on both of us. We both have pressure. This is a big fight for boxing. Obviously, he wants to win the belts, and I want to retain the belts. The pressure is equal. We both have the pressure on us to come out victorious.”
(Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)
• Devin Haney 134.9 lbs vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko 135 lbs
(Haney’s Undisputed Lightweight Championship – 12 Rounds)
Judges: Tim Cheatham, Dave Moretti and David Sutherland
Referee: Harvey Dock
• Oscar Valdez 132.1 lbs vs. Adam Lopez 132.1 lbs
(Junior Lightweight Rematch — 10 Rounds)
• Raymond Muratalla 133.9 lbs vs. Jeremia Nakathila 133.6 lbs
(Lightweight — 10 Rounds)
(ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
• Andrew Moloney 114.5 lbs vs. Junto Nakatani 114.6 lbs
(Vacant WBO Junior Bantamweight Title — 12 Rounds)
• Nico Ali Walsh 158.4 lbs vs. Danny Rosenberger 158 lbs
(Middleweight — 8 Rounds)
(ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Emiliano Fernando Vargas 133.8 lbs vs. Rafael Jasso 134.7 lbs
(Lightweight— 4 Rounds)
• Floyd Diaz 119.8 lbs vs. Luis Fernando Saavedra 119.8 lbs
(Junior Featherweight — 8 Rounds)
• Abdullah Mason 135.8 lbs vs. Desmond Lyons 135.3 lbs
(Lightweight — 6 Rounds)
• Amari Jones 160 lbs vs. Pachino Hill 161.9 lbs
(Middleweight — 6 Rounds)
