Devin Haney Has His Star-Making Fight in Win vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko

Devin Haney is attempting exhausting to argue the purpose.

He’s one amongst essentially the most attention-grabbing warring parties within the enviornment.

And though precisely no one confuses him with the lightweight likes of Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez and even “State State” Mancini, the 24-yr-broken-down’s claim to precocious supremacy within the 135-pound division is as accurate in at this time’s climate as theirs had been a know-how or extra within the past.

Esteem it or not.

“The Dream’s” 12-rounder with typical three-division king Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night in Las Vegas develop into tactically appealing and consistently aggressive, and the narrow unanimous nod with which he emerged develop into enough to retain a four-pack of gaudy title belts.

Haney had a championship leg to stand on since earning the WBC’s title in a boardroom three years within the past, however he’d added heft to his trophy case and legitimacy to his claim with six subsequent victories—along side two straight over George Kambosos Jr. in 2022 that yielded the IBF, WBA and WBO straps.

The risk posed by a 35-yr-broken-down Lomachenko entering into seemed extra reputational than violent supplied that his most inventive and a hit days had approach with regards to 10 kilos and 10 years earlier, and the Ukrainian’s identify develop into with out a doubt essentially the most recognizable on Haney’s resume, even supposing his lightweight chops weren’t transcendent.

Standing an slouch taller at 5’8″ and armed with a 5-plus slouch edge in attain, Haney anticipated to utilize size and space to force a smaller man faraway from his spruce wheelhouse and into a approach where chasing decisive vitality photos—never a sprint-to even in his easiest moments—develop into his easiest first fee hope.

Nonetheless it wasn’t moderately that straight forward.

Lomachenko handled the dimensions gap with aplomb and develop into in truth the extra dangerous fighter coming down the stretch, touchdown spruce and extremely efficient photos in particular within the tenth and 11th rounds. Haney retained each and each his consciousness and his pristine account within the 12th, on the quite plenty of hand, steadying himself and rediscovering ample offense to receive the spherical unanimously.

Actually, the rally supplied the aggressive cushion he the largest on the approach to margins of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the scorecards. Had he misplaced the spherical by a level across the board the fight would contain resulted in a majority plan.

As an quite plenty of, it develop into his 15th straight distance fight with a sweep of the first fee tallies and prolonged a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-like lunge that is never seen a foe gain closer than two aspects in any individual maintain’s eyes. Mayweather went the distance 23 times from 1996 to 2015 and develop into 66-1-2 across these 69 scorecards, dropping on one to Oscar De La Hoya and splitting one every with Marcos Maidana and Canelo Alvarez.

Nonetheless where the “Shimmering Boy” develop into “Cash” most continuously had grudging however frequent acclaim as the enviornment’s premier fighter, the unbeaten and undisputed Haney—one amongst easiest three four-belt champs across 17 weight classes—arrived to the weekend absent from The Ring’s most contemporary pound-for-pound rankings while Lomachenko, with a loss and a debated receive in his closing four fights, develop into seventh.

His minus-245 making a guess assign screamed celeb.

His fanfare screamed meh.

And unless something adjustments, given the in-home fan sentiment that Lomachenko deserved better, it aloof will likely be a while earlier than he will get entirely over.

A hit one duel of Bob Arum-promoted opponents sets Haney up for one other disaster from a High Defective stablemate, within the form of fellow unbeaten 20-something Shakur Stevenson, who debuted at lightweight closing month after short title reigns at each and each 126 and 130 kilos.

Stevenson snappily swapped slots with Haney in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings following that fight, mountain climbing past him from tenth to ninth with a sixth-spherical TKO of Shuichiro Yoshino.

And he did nothing Saturday night to squash a contention.

The Unique Jersey accepted first claimed that Haney and his group exited the ring upon seeing him capability after the fight, then suggested on the ESPN broadcast that Lomachenko deserved to be the undisputed champ earlier than going all-in on an “I’ve got subsequent” callout.

“Devin will not be at my level and I am gonna recount their personal praises it,” Stevenson stated.

“He’s a tricky fighter however it be a elevated skill level that I even contain.”

Indeed, Haney appears relegated to a concept B-side if he tries to create 135—he develop into a tenth of a pound over at Friday’s first weigh-in—against either Stevenson or self-anointed “face of boxing” Gervonta Davis (ranked tenth by The Ring), and his stature will likely be even less imposing on the 140-pound likes of Josh Taylor (ranked eighth by The Ring), who stands two inches taller and has fought at heavy as 146.

Stevenson is a consensus critical individual. Davis is a proven seat filler. Taylor has been a four-belt champ. Haney wants a seat on the table and aloof appears to be pining for an invite.

His surprising shove into Lomachenko’s chest on Friday develop into branded as a prelude to imposing his will on a smaller opponent, however it seemed a ways extra like a attach a matter to for attention by a guy whose skill space is past question while his needle remains motionless on the “it” ingredient scale—titles or no titles. And at some stage within the fight itself, the imposition never seemed shut.

“Lomachenko is HBO storied, and followers have not forgotten,” ex-blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley educated Bleacher File. “Have to not (weigh on Haney) however it may perhaps in all probability well moreover. Most all of them are restful divas. Effect of individual sports.”

Toward that end, Lomachenko delivered an worthy extra telling post-fight blow.

“Sooner than the fight I knowing (Haney) will likely be better,” he stated. “He’s a tricky fighter. He’s an correct fighter. Nonetheless he isn’t a pound-for-pound fighter.”

Ouch.

“Fundamental individual vitality?” SiriusXM host Randy Gordon educated Bleacher File. “Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis are the guys with critical individual vitality within the lightweight division. Haney (the largest) an overwhelming victory to create followers maintain he is the No. 1 within the division.”

Victory? Sure. Overwhelming? Not continuously.

And for folks that maintain the road will get more straightforward, maintain again.

“They known as me out and then they ran out the ring,” Stevenson stated. “I’m able to’t wait.”