By Jim Maltzman: Devin Haney wants to face Vasiliy Lomachenko while he’s still in his prime, and he’s concerned that if he doesn’t get a shot at facing him soon, he could get beaten. Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) is currently injured with a shoulder problem, but he plans on returning to the ring in the summer.
WBA/WBC [F]/WBO lightweight champion Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) will be turning 32 next month on February 17, and he’s clearly showing signs of wear and tear from his long amateur career.
Lomachenko will be fighting IBF lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) in a unification fight in April or May. While a lot of boxing fans are picking Lomachenko to win, you can’t dismiss Teofimo’s chances of pulling off the upset. With his power, size and youth, he could KO Lomachenko with a single punch. We saw what Teofimo did to IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey in him knocking him out in round 2 on December 14 in New York.
Lomachenko has tough fight against Teofimo Lopez
It’s not going to be an easy fight for Lomachenko against the 22-year-old Teofimo. Loma had all he could handle against Jose Pedraza and Luke Campbell, and he didn’t dominate either guy. In the past, Lomachenko easily beating everyone he fought, and forcing them to quit.
That’s no longer happening. Lomachenko’s wins are all hard for him, and he’s getting punished like never before. Lomachenko thinks things will change once he moves back down to super featherweight, but that’s probably not going to be the case. There is no Fountain of Youth for Lomachenko to drink from at 130. In other words, problems won’t be solved by going back down in weight.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko had almost 400 amateur fights before he turned pro in 2013, and he’s starting to show deterioration in the last year. Loma is getting hit a lot more than ever, and he’s looking beaten up after his fights. That didn’t used to happen.
The World Boxing Council gave Haney their WBC ‘Champion in recess’ tag for his lightweight belt, and they’ve ordered #1 WBC Javier Fortuna and #2 Luke Campbell to contest for the vacant 135-lb title. Once Haney healed, he’ll be able to fight the winner of the Fortuna-Campbell fight to regain his belt.
Haney gives Lomachenko edge against Teofimo
“I’ve been begging for him,” said Haney to secondsout about him wanting Lomachenko. “You’ve got to ask this man here,” Haney said in referring to Eddie Hearn. “I think it’s a really good match-up,” said Haney on the Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez fight. “And I think Teofiimo has the speed and the power, and Lomachenko has the IQ.
“So I think it’s a really interesting match-up, but I’m edging towards Loma. I am kind of worried,” said Haney when asked if he’s worried about Lomachenko losing before he can fight him. That loss won’t come easy. Not any ordinary guy will beat Lomachenko, and I understand that, and I feel like I’m the guy to do it,” said Haney.
Lomachenko will do fine against Teofimo, as long as he doesn’t get hit cleanly. If Lopez lands the type of shot that he hurt Commey with, then Lomachenko will be staggering, and might even go down. Time doesn’t stop for anyone, and boxing is a young man’ sport. Occasionally, an older fighter can do well in boxing, but that’s a rarity. Most fighters start to lose it in their early 30s, which is where Lomachenko is.
Lomachenko and his promoters at Top Rank haven’t shown the slightest bit of interest in fighting Haney, and that fight may not happen. Loma could have fought Haney when he was the WBC lightweight champion, but instead he allowed himself to be given the Franchise tag with the wbc. The belief is Lomachenko did this to be freed up from having to fight Haney.
Hearn: The WBC protected Lomachenko from Haney
“The whole reason we went down the WBC route was to fight Lomachenko,” said Hearn to secondsout on Haney. “So it was very disappointing to us when Lomachenko was made WBC Franchise champion. Devin Haney went from interim WBC champion to full world champion, and that’s good that he’s become a world champion. But he wants legacy.
“The way that you get a legacy is to beat the greats,” said Hearn. “So we were hoping that they would order the winner of Lomachenko against [Luke] Campbell against Devin Haney straight up, but instead they protected him. He doesn’t want to be protected, but the people around him will say, ‘No, no, we don’t want this.’
“Bob Arum said numerous times, we’re [Lomachenko] not fighting Devin Haney.’ Why not?” said Hearn. “There’s a load of money in the fight, and everyone wants to see it. So he wants to keep it in house [against Top Rank fighters]. So now he’s going to fight Teofimo Lopez. For me, Teofimo Lopez has just put in a performance where he’s on the verge of becoming a star,” said Hearn.
Lomachenko is being protected by the WBC to keep him from having to fight Haney, according to Hearn. It does look strange how the WBC gave Lomachenko the Franchise tag just when he had Haney as his #1 ranked challenger. It would have been better for Lomachenko to turn down the Franchise title, and focus on fighting Haney, but he chose not to.
Haney and Teofimo both want Lomachenko
“For me, he [Teofimo] should cement that, and have a couple of fights, and then come fight Lomachenko,” Hearn said. “But fair play to him. A lot of these young guns, they want it now, and you have to respect that. I would have said to Devin, ‘Don’t fight Lomachenko yet. Have 3 or 4 fights. You’re becoming a massive star.” He went, ‘No, no, I want it more.’
“The same with Lopez. Imagine him [Haney] against Teofimo Lopez, or him against Ryan Garcia or him against [Gervonta] Tank,” said Hearn. “That’s the future of boxing. Right now, you’ve got, and you’ve seen it in the UK where guys, the bigger names are starting to fade out.
“Now it’s Canelo, and Floyd we’ve seen, Danny Jacobs and Demetrius,” said Hearn. “They’re in their 30s. These young guys [like Haney] are the future of the sport. There are so many great fights to be made, and he’s up for all of them,” said Hearn.
The young lions are stalking the aging champion Lomachenko, and they’re ready to pounce on him when the time comes. If Lomachenko fights both of those guys, he’s going to be worn down afterwards. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum won’t be happy to see Lomachenko lose, because he’s trying to turn him into a star.