Devin Haney Survives Tough Test vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko, but He Isn’t a Star Just Yet

Devin Haney is making an strive exhausting to argue the point.

He’s one amongst the handiest opponents on this planet.

And even though exactly no one confuses him with the lightweight likes of Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez or even “Development Development” Mancini, the 24-year-aged’s explain to precocious supremacy within the 135-pound division is as valid in on the present time’s local climate as theirs bag been a know-how or more ago.

Cope with it or now not.

“The Dream’s” 12-rounder with extinct three-division king Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday evening in Las Vegas used to be tactically though-provoking and consistently competitive, and the slim unanimous nod with which he emerged used to be sufficient to preserve a four-pack of gaudy title belts.

Haney had a championship leg to face on since incomes the WBC’s title in a boardroom three years ago, nonetheless he’d added heft to his trophy case and legitimacy to his explain with six subsequent victories—at the side of two straight over George Kambosos Jr. in 2022 that yielded the IBF, WBA and WBO straps.

The menace posed by a 35-year-aged Lomachenko coming into appeared more reputational than violent on condition that his most ingenious and worthwhile days had come nearly 10 kilos and 10 years earlier, and the Ukrainian’s name used to be with out a doubt basically the most recognizable on Haney’s resume, even if his lightweight chops weren’t transcendent.

Standing an scamper taller at 5’8″ and armed with a 5-plus scamper edge in reach, Haney expected to make use of dimension and home to force a smaller man away from his smooth wheelhouse and proper into a technique where chasing decisive vitality shots—by no blueprint a hurry-to even in his handiest moments—used to be his handiest respectable hope.

However it with out a doubt wasn’t pretty that easy.

Lomachenko handled the scale gap with aplomb and used to be with out a doubt the more unsafe fighter coming down the stretch, landing neat and highly efficient shots in particular within the Tenth and 11th rounds. Haney retained each and every his consciousness and his pristine file within the 12th, on the other hand, steadying himself and rediscovering sufficient offense to salvage the round unanimously.

Of direction, the rally equipped the competitive cushion he wanted on the ability to margins of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the scorecards. Had he misplaced the round by a degree across the board the fight would bag resulted in a majority scheme.

As yet any other, it used to be his 15th straight distance fight with a sweep of the respectable tallies and prolonged a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-savor run that’s by no blueprint seen a foe accumulate nearer than two parts in any particular particular person resolve’s eyes. Mayweather went the gap 23 times from 1996 to 2015 and used to be 66-1-2 across these 69 scorecards, losing on one to Oscar De La Hoya and splitting one each and every with Marcos Maidana and Canelo Alvarez.

However where the “Reasonably Boy” changed into “Money” in overall had grudging nonetheless unique acclaim because the sphere’s premier fighter, the unbeaten and undisputed Haney—one amongst handiest three four-belt champs across 17 weight lessons—arrived to the weekend absent from The Ring’s most up-to-date pound-for-pound rankings while Lomachenko, with a loss and a debated salvage in his closing four fights, used to be seventh.

His minus-245 making a guess web page screamed significant particular person.

His fanfare screamed meh.

And except something adjustments, given the in-home fan sentiment that Lomachenko deserved greater, it mute may perchance perchance perchance very well be a while earlier than he gets fully over.

Successful one duel of Bob Arum-promoted opponents objects Haney up for one other enviornment from a High Depraved stablemate, within the fabricate of fellow unbeaten 20-something Shakur Stevenson, who debuted at lightweight closing month after short title reigns at each and every 126 and 130 kilos.

Stevenson rapid swapped slots with Haney in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings following that fight, hiking previous him from Tenth to ninth with a sixth-round TKO of Shuichiro Yoshino.

And he did nothing Saturday evening to squash a contention.

The Fresh Jersey well-liked first claimed that Haney and his team exited the ring upon seeing him ability 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 next” callout.

“Devin is now not at my stage and I am gonna blow their own horns it,” Stevenson talked about.

“He’s a irritating fighter nonetheless it with out a doubt’s a greater skill stage that I with out a doubt bag.”

Indeed, Haney looks relegated to a belief B-facet if he tries to invent 135—he used to be a tenth of a pound over at Friday’s first weigh-in—in opposition to both Stevenson or self-anointed “face of boxing” Gervonta Davis (ranked Tenth by The Ring), and his stature would be even much 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 significant particular person. Davis is a confirmed seat filler. Taylor has been a four-belt champ. Haney desires a seat on the desk and mute looks to be pining for an invite.

His unexpected shove into Lomachenko’s chest on Friday used to be branded as a prelude to imposing his will on a smaller opponent, nonetheless it with out a doubt appeared some distance more savor a rely on for consideration by a man whose skill snarl is beyond inquire while his needle stays motionless on the “it” ingredient scale—titles or no titles. And all the blueprint in which during the fight itself, the imposition by no blueprint appeared terminate.

“Lomachenko is HBO storied, and followers haven’t forgotten,” ex-blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley suggested Bleacher Sage. “Have to not (weigh on Haney) nonetheless it with out a doubt may perchance perchance presumably. Most all of them are sensitive divas. Trace of particular particular person sports.”

In direction of that pause, Lomachenko delivered a great more telling put up-fight blow.

“Sooner than the fight I believed (Haney) would be greater,” he talked about. “He’s a irritating fighter. He’s a factual fighter. However he’s now not a pound-for-pound fighter.”

Ouch.

“Superstar vitality?” SiriusXM host Randy Gordon suggested Bleacher Sage. “Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis are the guys with significant particular person vitality within the lightweight division. Haney (wanted) an incredible victory to invent followers consider he’s the No. 1 within the division.”

Victory? Sure. Overwhelming? Most incessantly.

And must you concentrate on the avenue gets more straightforward, consider again.

“They called me out and then they ran out the ring,” Stevenson talked about. “I will now not wait.”