By Allan Fox: Devin Haney will be waiting to take on the winner of the lightweight unification fight between champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez when the two face each other.
Unlike a lot of boxing fans, WBC ‘Champion in Recess’ Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) doesn’t view the Lomachenko vs. Lopez fight as one for the undisputed championship, as he points out that Loma holds the WBC ‘Franchise’ belt. That’s a title that can’t be lost or won.
It’s a strap that is given out by the World Boxing Council, and it’s nontransferable. In Haney’s mind, the winner of the Lomachenko-Teofimo fight will still need to face him if they want a chance to become the undisputed lightweight champion. However, that’s not the way Lomaachenko and Teofimo’s promoters at Top Rank sees it.
They’re counting on the casual fans as viewing the fight between those two champions as being for the undisputed championship, and they’re probably right.
As long as the commentators at ESPN and the writers talk about the Lomachenko vs. Teofimo fight as being for the undisputed championship, that’s how it’ll be viewed by the fans who tune in to watch it.
Haney wants the winner of this fight to face him, but he admits that he probably won’t get the contest if it’s Lomachenko that wins. He believes that Loma wants nothing to do with him for some reason. Haney thinks it might be due to him being a lousy style match-up for the 32-year-old Lomachenko.
Haney targeting Lomachenko vs. Lopez winner
“I hope the winner [Vasily Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez] fights me,” said Haney to Fighthype. “Ask him [Bob Arum] if the winner fights me for all the belts, Teofimo can’t win a Franchise title, so it’s not an undisputed fight. The Franchise title isn’t a belt. It’s not an undisputed fight, so ask him [Arum] if the winner will fight me.
“I’ve got to fight the guys in my division or move up and fight the guys at 140,” said Haney when asked what he’ll do if Arum won’t allow the Lomachenko vs. Lopez winner to face him. “And if they won’t fight me at 140, then I’ll go up to 147. That would be crazy if I had to go all the way up to 147 just to get a big fight.
“I think it’s a huge fight that a lot of people would want to see and would tune in,” said Haney about a match between him and Teofimo,” said Haney.
“There are big fights that are getting made, but not when it comes to Devin Haney. I don’t care [who wins Lomachenko vs. Lopez]. I just want the winner to fight me. And I don’t think Loma has me on his list, and I don’t think he wants to fight me. And I don’t think it’s a fight that he’s interested in,” said Haney.
The 21-year-old Haney will need to forget about Lomachenko and Teofimo if their promoters at Top Rank don’t wish to match either of them against him. One of these days, Haney, if he’s as good as he believes himself to be, will have Top Rank knocking on his door attempting to match one of their fighters with him.
It would be a mistake for Haney to move up to 140, thinking he’ll get a big fight because Top Rank has a stranglehold on that division. The two champions at light-welterweight, Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor, are both with Top Rank. So if they’re not interested in matching Lomachenko or Teofimo against Haney, it’s likely it’ll be the same situation with Taylor and Ramirez.
Teofimo didn’t impress Haney during sparring
“In the sparring session, Teofimo couldn’t hit me,” said Haney. “Before we met face-to-face, he was telling everyone how he stopped me. But when we met face-to-face, it was a different tone. He didn’t say any of that.
“Everyone saw how he acted when we got in front of each other because he knows the truth. He knows what happened. He didn’t hit me, that’s it. I’m going to tell you the truth. It’s not like I got anything against him, or I hate him. It’s nothing like that.
“When I sparred him, I didn’t think he was anything special. Some guys you think, ‘He’s got talent.’ You got into a sparring session thinking, ‘I got to be on my A-game today.’ When I sparred him [Teofimo], it was like another day. I’m not disparaging him.
“I’m just speaking the truth. Even when I was sparring [Amir] Khan, I knew I had to be on my A-game because I knew what he’d accomplished in the sport, I knew he had experienced, and I knew what I was up against.
“With Teofimo, he wasn’t the Teofimo that he is now. Nobody knew him that much, so I didn’t think much of the sparring session.
“If he [Teofimo] doesn’t beat Lomachenko, do you think he’s going to want to fight me? Of course, he’s going to want to fight me if he loses. Luke Campbell, he just lost to Lomachenko in his last fight,” said Haney.
It’s unclear how long ago Haney sparred with Teofimo. If it was years ago, then it doesn’t matter that he wasn’t impressive. Teofimo is 22 now with big power in either hand. It would be a tough fight for Haney if he could face Teofimo today, but it’s a winnable one for him. As long as Haney doesn’t get hit by one of Teofimo’s big right hands, he’s got a chance to outbox him.
Haney: Lomachenko doesn’t want to fight me
“I think he’ll go down to 130. And I can only assume it’s because of my styles and how much skills that I have.,” said Haney of Lomachenko What can I say? It looks like he doesn’t want to fight me. We don’t know what’s in his head. Hopefully, he will.
“He [Teofimo] went the IBF route. Let’s not act like I didn’t want the fight. It could have happened. We know how much the WBC belt means. If he wanted to fight me, he could have challenged me. Just admit that you took the easier route [by facing Richard Commey for the IBF 135-lb title],” said Haney.
Lomachenko isn’t sure what he wants to do after the Teofimo fight. A while ago, Lomachenko talked of moving back down to 130 after he faces Teofimo, but last week, he mentioned that there are a lot of big fights at lightweight.
As long as Top Rank is willing to match Lomachenko against the other fighters that aren’t promoted by them, then it’s worthwhile for him to stay at 135. If all Loma is fighting are unknown guys at 135, then he should go back down.
At 130, Top Rank will match Lomatchenko against their stable fighters Jamel Herring, Shakur Stevenson, Miguel Berchelt, Oscar Valdez, and Carl Frampton.
Luke Campbell wants another title shot
“He hasn’t had a tune-up. But he wants to fight again for the WBC title, but he just lost his previous match,” said Haney of Luke Campbell. “He wants another shot, right? He almost got stopped in the battle [against Lomachenko], and he wants another chance.
“And he’s trying to petition to get another shot at the WBC title. He never petitioned to fight me, though. And he never said, ‘I want to fight Devin Haney.’ Whoever the mandatory is,” said Haney when asked if he wants to defend against Campbell in his first fight back. That’s for the WBC to determine, but I’m ready to fight whoever,” said Haney.
Luke Campbell and Javier Fortuna are still relatively supposed to be fighting for the vacant WBC lightweight. Haney isn’t happy about it, as he wants the WBC to reinstate him as their lightweight champion now that he’s healthy again. Haney has already petitioned to the WBC to reinstate him. Campbell is also looking to keep his fight with Fortuna to be for the WBC title.
Haney hopes Ryan Garcia’s coach isn’t protecting him
“Me and Ryan is a huge fight. Belts don’t even matter in that fight,” said Haney to Fighthype. “The fight is huge. His coach [Eddy Reynoso], I wouldn’t say he’s telling the truth because I want the fight.
“His coach has his opinion, and you have to respect his opinion,” said Haney about Ryan’s trainer Reynoso wanting to fight two or three more times in learning bouts before he takes on the talented guys at 135.
“I hope he’s not saving Ryan because I want him to tell Ryan that he’s 100 percent ready and that he should fight me because I want to make the fight happen,” said Haney.
Ryan Garcia will fight Haney sooner or later, but he’s on course to face Jorge Linares next. After that, Golden Boy will put him in with someone like Luke Campbell unless he gets beaten by Javier Fortuna.
