Devin Haney retained his undisputed lightweight boxing championship Saturday night with a decision victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko. Haney, though, was met by wide-spread criticism and booing from both fans and those around the world.
Devin Haney Still Perfect, Still Champion, But Faces Questions
Many were left shocked and stunned when it was read that Devin Haney was still the undisputed boxing lightweight champion of the world. Haney improved to 30-0 with a decision over former champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. The bout headlined an event from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas that was filled with 14,436 fans.
Many of those, though, hammered Haney down with boos after he was declared the winner.
Online, many felt Lomachenko had done enough to win the fight. And if not win it, at least take more rounds and possibly a scorecard.
But he had not.
Instead, Haney tried his best to defend the decision.
“The people can say what they want to say; the judges had a unanimous decision,” Haney said (thanks to ESPN for the quotes). “That’s all that matters is the judges. Each judge was on the same page.”
Lomachenko, who dropped to 17-3 with the defeat, really came on in the later rounds to try and dethrone Haney. The champion believes that the inability of the challenger to finish strong did him in.
“He would have some good moments during the round, but he wasn’t finishing the whole round strong because we invested in the body,” Haney said. “The body work won me the fight, so I knew I had to invest in that body.”
Where Does Devin Haney Go From Here?
For Haney, he believes a new challenge awaits at 140 pounds after proving himself vs. Lomachenko.
“No weight cut for me at 135 is easy,” he said. “It takes a lot of discipline. I’m huge for the weight. I’ve been at 135 since I was 16 years old.”
One of the interesting things about Haney is that he does not sign long-term contracts. In fact, he is now a free agent following this bout.
Haney could remain with Top Rank and possibly face either Josh Taylor or Teofimo Lopez, there is also a possible bout with Shakur Stevenson, who was there to confront him after.
Gervonta Davis is with Premier Boxing Champions and could look to bring Haney in, and there is also Regis Prograis and Jack Catteral, who are with Matchroom.
