HOLLYWOOD, Calif – Vasiliy Lomachenko’s date with undisputed title destiny will be met with the tall task that is current division champion Devin Haney.
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) and Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) will fight for all of the hardware at 135 pounds on May 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on ESPN+ pay per view.
The 35-year-old, three-division champion Lomachenko understands that this could be his last chance at adding to his Hall of Fame-bound resume with an undisputed title.
Haney is coming off an impressive two-fight beatdown against Geroge Kambosos Jr. in 2022 that even captured the attention of the two-time Olympics gold medalist for Ukraine.
Lomachenko labeled Haney’s second fight against George Kambosos Jr. as “high-level” in an interview with BoxingScene.com and other reporters.
“I liked it,” said Lomachenko.
“Now he has big experience in big fights. I respect and like his style. He’s a very strong and smart boxer. It will be very very hard [fight].
“My experience is very important in this fight. We are both boxers of a high level. It will be interesting for boxing.”
For the last several years, the 24-year-old Haney has drawn comparisons as perhaps being the next Floyd Mayweather Jr.
When Lomachenko was asked if he’d compare Haney to Mayweather like others have, Lomachenko squashed the narrative.
“Maybe, I don’t know [if he could be compared to Mayweather]. For me, not. But for somebody, maybe yes,” said Lomachenko.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.