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Devin Haney tries hard to argue the point.
He is one of the best fighters in the world.
And while no one is confusing him with lightweights like Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez or even “Boom Boom” Mancini, the 24-year-old’s claim to precocious supremacy in the 135-pound division is just as valid. in today’s climate like theirs. generations or more ago.
Like it or not.
“The Dream’s” 12-rounder with former three-division king Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night in Las Vegas was a tactically exciting and consistent contest, and his narrow unanimous nod was enough to hold on. the four pack of title belts.
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Haney has had one championship leg to stand on since winning the WBC title in a boardroom three years ago, but he has added weight to his trophy case and legitimacy to his claim with six straight. -consecutive victories-including two in a row against George Kambosos Jr. in 2022 giving the IBF, WBA and WBO straps.
The risk posed by a 35-year-old Lomachenko entering seems more reputational than violent because his most artistic and successful days came almost 10 pounds and 10 years ago, and the Ukrainian’s name is the most recognizable on Haney’s resume, however. if his light chops weren’t amazing.
Standing an inch taller at 5’8″ and armed with five extra inches of reach, Haney hopes to use size and space to force a smaller man from his towering wheelhouse and to a strategy where chasing decisive shots of power-never go-even in his best moments-is his only legitimate hope.
But it is not that simple.
Lomachenko handled the size gap with aplomb and was actually the more dangerous fighter going down, landing clean and powerful shots especially in the 10th and 11th rounds. Haney kept his composure and his clean record in the 12th, however, regaining his composure and finding enough offense to win the round collectively.
In fact, the rally gave him the competitive cushion he needed en route to margins of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the scorecards. If he had lost the round by a draw point, the fight would have ended in a majority draw.
However, this was his 15th fight in a row with a sweep of the official tallies and extended a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-like streak. Mayweather went the distance 23 times from 1996 to 2015 and is 66-1-2 on those 69 scorecards, losing one to Oscar De La Hoya and sharing one with Marcos Maidana and Canelo Alvarez. .
But where “Pretty Boy” became “Money” was often hated but widely admired as the world’s premier fighter, the undefeated and undisputed Haney—one of only three four-belt champions in 17 weight classes—arrived at the weekend without the The ring latest pound-for-pound rankings while Lomachenko, who has a loss and a contested win in his last four fights, is seventh.
His minus-245 betting status screams superstar.
His fanfare screamed meh.
And unless something changes, given home fan sentiment that Lomachenko deserves better, it could be a while before he’s completely done.
Winning a bout against opponents promoted by Bob Arum set Haney up for another challenge from a Top Rank stablemate, in the form of fellow undefeated 20-something Shakur Stevenson, who was making his debut at lightweight last month after a brief title reign at 126 and 130 pounds.
Stevenson quickly traded places with Haney in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings after that fight, surpassing him from 10th to ninth with a sixth-round TKO of Shuichiro Yoshino.
And he did nothing Saturday night to lose the rivalry.
The New Jersey favorite first admitted that Haney and his team left the ring to see him approach after the fight, then suggested on the ESPN broadcast that Lomachenko deserved to be the undisputed champion before going all-in on an “I’ve got next” callout.
“Devin’s not on my level and I’m going to show it,” Stevenson said.
“He’s a tough fighter but this is a higher skill level than I have.”
In fact, Haney will appear to be reduced to a perception B-side if he tries to make 135—he’s a tenth of a pound in Friday’s first weigh-in—against Stevenson or the self-anointed “face of boxing” Gervonta Davis (ranked 10th by The ring), and his size may not be as impressive as 140-pounder Josh Taylor (ranked eighth in The ring), who was two inches taller and fought at 146.
Stevenson is a consensus star. Davis is a proven bench filler. Taylor became a four-belt champion. Haney wanted a seat at the table and seemed to be asking for an invitation.
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His surprise jab at Lomachenko’s chest on Friday was marked as a prelude to imposing his will on a smaller opponent, but it felt like a demand for attention from a man whose skill was unquestioned while his needle remains motionless on the “it. ” factor scale—titles or no titles. And during the fight itself, the execution was never close.
“Lomachenko is HBO storied, and fans haven’t forgotten,” ex-blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley told Bleacher Report. “No (Haney will be weighed) but maybe. Most of them are sensitive divas. Mark of individual sports.”
Toward that end, Lomachenko delivered a more telling punch after the fight.
“Before the fight, I thought (Haney) was better,” he said. “He’s a tough fighter. He’s a good fighter. But he’s not a pound-for-pound fighter.”
Well.
“Star power?” SiriusXM host Randy Gordon told Bleacher Report. “Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis are the guys with star power in the lightweight division. Haney (needs) a huge win to make the fans think he’s No. 1 in the division.”
Victory? Yes. Overwhelming? Hardly not.
And if you think the road is easier, think again.
“They called me and then they ran out of the ring,” Stevenson said. “I can’t wait.”
