By Sam Volz: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum revealed today that he wants to match Vasyl Lomachenko against undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, with the winner facing Shakur Stevenson.
Arum is going to need to possibly do some convincing to Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) because there is already talk that he’s going to vacate his four titles, which are arguably hot potatoes for him, and then flee the 135-lb division as fast as his feet can carry him to avoid defending against Lomacchenko (16-2, 11 KOs).
If Haney, 23, vacates his title and moves up to 140, which it’s believed he’ll be doing, it will wreck Arum’s plans of a Haney-Lomachenkof fight. Arum wasn’t asked what his plan B will be if Haney vacated his belts to swerve Lomachenko.
We’re assuming that if Haney moves up to 140, Lomachenko will battle Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz for the vacant WBC 135-lb title, while Shakur Stevenson got a fight under his belt against one of the highly-ranked lightweights.
It would be a massive disappointment for not only Arum & the boxing public but also for Lomachenko because he wouldn’t get the opportunity to fight for the undisputed lightweight championship. So instead of Lomachenko relieving Haney of his four titles next, he’d be fighting Pitbull Cruz for just the WBC title.
To be sure, it would be a huge letdown for Lomachenko only get a chance to fight for one belt instead of four against the recently beaten Cruz.
“Shakur is moving up to the 135 division, which is loaded with talent. I think the next big fight we’ll have, assuming Lomachenko gets by next Saturday on the 29th in New York, I want to make Lomachenko and Haney and have the winner fight Shakur Stevenson.
“Someone has to lose, but for me, it’s a blessing because I’m giving the fans great fights, great competitive fights,” said Arum.
It would be in Arum’s best interest to speak with Haney as soon as possible to have him confirm whether he’ll agree to fight Lomachenko next because if he wants another gimme like his last two fights on his three-fight contract with Top Rank, he’s not going to be agreeable to fighting Loma.
“The key to making boxing popular, which I think someone like Frank [Warren] and Queensbury has done here in the UK, is making sure you’re making competitive fights, important competitive fights because people don’t want to see walkovers,” said Arum.
