LAS VEGAS – Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko met their contractual obligations Friday morning, about seven hours before they’ll be forced to pretend to do it again at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Haney stepped on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s scale at 134.9 pounds for their 12-round, 135-pound championship match Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Lomachenko was slightly heavier, officially 135 pounds even, when he weighed in.
The taller, younger Haney was 135.1 pounds when he first got on the scale. He stripped down, though, and came in under the lightweight limit.
Their official weigh-in was held behind closed doors and was not open to fans or media.
Both boxers will return Friday afternoon to the venue where they’ll fight to get on the scale again in front of ESPN’s cameras. The ceremonial weigh-in, which typically accommodates the broadcast partner’s schedule, is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. PDT and is open to the public.
Haney, 24, will defend his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO lightweight titles against Lomachenko, 35, in the main event of ESPN Pay-Per-View’s three-bout broadcast.
The pay-per-view portion of the show is set to start at 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT). It can be purchased for $59.99 through ESPN+, the network’s streaming service, or through numerous cable and satellite companies for the same price.
Most handicappers have established Haney (29-0, 15 KOs), of nearby Henderson, Nevada, as more than a 2-1 favorite to defeat Ukraine’s Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs), a three-division champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
This might mark Haney’s last fight – win, lose or draw – at the lightweight limit of 135 pounds. Haney has often discussed how difficult it is for him to squeeze down to that weight, but the Oakland native also has admitted that biggest money fights for him, namely against Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson, are in the lightweight division.
The official weights for all of the Haney-Lomachenko undercard fights will be added to this report later today.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.