Lomachenko tells Devin Haney, ‘Stop lying and send contract’

By Boxing News - 03/17/2021 - Comments

By Sean Jones: Vasily Lomachenko says he was never given a contract offer by Devin Haney and his dad Bill for a fight. Lomachenko says WBC lightweight champion Haney (25-0, 15 KOs) needs to stop lying and send a contract offer because he’s received nothing at all from their team.

Lomachenko suspects that Haney was never serious about wanting to fight him, and was grandstanding to give the impression that he wanted the match.

In the meantime, Haney is facing Lomachenko’s leftovers in 35-year-old Jorge Linares next, a fighter that has been knocked out in two out of his last five fights.

The former three-division world champion Lomachenko states that Team Haney already had a fight signed with Jorge Linares at the time that Bill Haney spoke to his manager Egis Klimas on the phone to enquire about whether they would be interested in setting up a match.

So basically, Lomachenko feels that Team Haney used him to get attention from boxing fans while at the same time giving Devin cover for taking another easy fight against old-timer Linares.

Lomachenko exposes Haney

“Haney, stop lying; send the real contract,” said Lomachenko to SnowqueeLA. “Devin, stop lying. Why are you lying to people? Tell Eddie Hearn to send the written contract on paper.

Image: Lomachenko tells Devin Haney, 'Stop lying and send contract'

“I thought they [Team Haney] sent it directly to Top Rank, so I asked [manager] Egis [Klimas] to find out. So Egis contacted Top Rank, and they didn’t receive anything either.

“I don’t understand why Devin Haney would even say that. We did not receive any contract, offers or paper from Haney. Bill Haney called Egis, saying he wanted to make a fight happen.

“They asked if we were serious about a fight and if we would be willing to have a fight. Egis replied, ‘Yes, of course, we want a fight.’ That’s how it ended, just that phonecall.

“The phonecall was a week ago. Egis told me that after he spoke to Bill Haney a week ago, he spoke to Team Linares, and Team Linares confirmed that they had signed the contract and sent it back to Haney. When he [Bill Haney] was on the phone with us, Linares had already signed the contract. That’s why I posted this Tweet:

“@RealHaney I’m here! I’m waiting for you cowards to decide on a real fight, and not on a Twitter fight.’

“In my opinion, he [Bill Haney] only remembered me after he’d signed the contract with Linares.

“After his fight with Linares was set, he [Devin] decided to remind everyone that he is not scared of anybody and he would box anybody at 135.

“But he clearly knew he would not be fighting me. He was trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes, saying, ‘I’m ready to fight.’ I really do want to fight him because it’s the best opportunity for me,” said Lomachenko.

Wow, Haney uses Lomachenko to get attention from boxing fans in a clout-chasing move and then turns around to take on recently knocked-out Linares. Clever move by Haney. I wonder who gave him the idea to do this?

Why Teofimo won’t give Lomachenko a rematch

“I already said before, [Teofimo] Lopez clearly had problems in the second half of the fight, and they found out about my injury and that’s why I wasn’t boxing in the first half.

Image: Lomachenko tells Devin Haney, 'Stop lying and send contract'

“Lopez knows if I box fully healthy with both hands, they will quickly lose everything they won by the accident. They [Team Teofimo Lopez] won’t give me the rematch. Devin Haney has a real WBC belt, yes.

“The one I got beating [Luke] Campbell. Then they gave me a Franchise belt, and my real belt went to Haney automatically. This is the type of belt he’s holding. He [Haney] got his belt without fighting anyone.

“I already said I’m ready. This is a question for the promoters,” said Lomachenko when asked if a fight between the DAZN affiliated Haney and him with Top Rank can be made.

“I want to fight, I’m ready, but I don’t have any opponent or date yet. First, I thought I would fight Masayoshi Nakatani, but we haven’t agreed on anything yet. I don’t have any news on when I’ll be back. I don’t care where it is.

“DAZN or ESPN, I want to fight. Because I’m still under contract with Top Rank for another year, the fight with Haney can only happen if the two promoters agree. Yes, of course. I’m supposed to have three fights a year.

“I’m hoping they will give me a date at the beginning of June,” said Lomachenko.

Teofimo Lopez wants no part of fighting Lomachenko ever again now that he’s healthy and his shoulder injury has been surgically repaired.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum wanted Teofimo to face Lomachenko in an immediate rematch. Instead, Teo is taking a soft fight against George Kambosos Jr. What does that tell you? Teofimo would likely make a lot more money in a rematch with Lomachenko, but he’s opting for a title-milking fight against Kambosos.

For the casuals that say that Teofimo has to fight Kambosos because he’s his IBF mandatory, he doesn’t have to do anything. Teofimo could have asked the International Boxing federation for an exception so that he could face Loma again.

Loma staying at 135, doubts Ryan Garcia fights him

“I didn’t watch the whole fight, but I saw highlights, of course. I saw the KO,” said Lomachenko about Oscar Valdez’s recent knockout victory over WBC super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt.

“I can make 130, yes. But I chose a different route, which for me is to keep boxing at 135. It all depends on Bob Arum if he can make the Oscar Valdez fight happen.

“It would be an interesting fight. I would want to see that,” Lomachenko said about the potential Manny Pacquiao vs. Mikey Garcia clash. “Who I have winning? I don’t know. Age is a big factor [for Pacquiao]. It’s hard to say who would win. I like both fighters, but I would be looking for a spectacular fight.

“I’m staying at 135,” said Lomachenko. “Ryan Garcia is with Golden Boy and fights on DAZN. I doubt [Ryan] Garcia and Golden Boy would fight me right now.

“And what happened with that?” said Lomachenko when told that Ryan wanted to fight Pacquiao. “It was just hype [from Ryan], all hype.

“Is he [Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis going to move back down to 135?” said Lomachenko when reminded that Tank is fighting WBA ‘regular’ light welterweight champion Mario Barrios next.

“I think he can move down to 135. He was fighting at 130. The Leo Santa Cruz fight was at 135. Of course, he can fight at 135. I never hid from anyone, and I never turned down a fight. It’s the business side of boxing that is difficult.

“140? No, for sure, no,” said Lomachenko when asked if he’d be willing to move up to 140.”

Staying at 135 makes sense for Lomachenko because there’s only one popular fighter worth fighting at 130, and that’s Oscar Valdez. It’s doubtful that Top Rank would give Lomachenko the green light to face Valdez because he would wreck him.

Valdez is a nice little revenue stream for Top Rank, and they’re not going to want to have Lomachenko foul it up for them by embarrassing him.

Lomachenko talks Top Rank contract

“If we’re talking about a Devin Haney fight, it’s either Bob Arum can negotiate with [Eddie] Hearn and make it happen in April 2022 while I’m still with Top Rank or I will have to wait a year and get out of my contract and then fight Haney,” said Lomachenko.

“I wouldn’t know how much we’re talking about because I haven’t had any offers.

“So basically, you’re saying that he [Haney] is telling the truth that he sent the offer, and I’m lying that I never received it? You’re saying that Devin said, ‘I sent him an offer.’

“And I am telling you that I haven’t received anything. We don’t have anything. No contract or no offer numbers. Egis was on a call and that’s all it was.

“Them just asking if we wanted a fight. Is Loma going to fight Devin or is he just hyping on Twitter? Egis said we are serious about fighting.

“Honestly, I think Tyson Fury,” said Lomachenko when asked who he has between Fury and Anthony Joshua.

That would be a shame if Lomachenko has to wait until his contract with Top Rank expires before he faces Haney, but the way things are looking, he probably won’t get the fight anyway. Haney doesn’t want any of that smoke.

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