By Adam Baskin: Devin Haney says he noticed how “small” Vasily Lomachenko looked when he sized him up during their face-off on Thursday for their kick-off press conference, but he feels that size doesn’t matter in the sport.
If Haney were on the level about his comment about size not mattering, he would move up to 154 and campaign in that weight class. Obviously, size does matter. Haney is a welterweight who, due to his youth, can lose water weight to make 135 and then rehydrate to have a size advantage.
Fans disagree with Haney (29-0, 15 KOs), as they feel size matters, especially when you have a young fighter that can still drain massive amounts of weight to compete in a division well below his rehydrated body frame like him.
Haney looked positively massive, standing next to Lomachenko (17-0, 11 KOs) when the two were on the stage, posing for pictures for the media. Devin resembled a welterweight standing next to a featherweight.
Lomachenko has enough skills to make it competitive against the hulking Devin, but he won’t win unless he gets lucky.
“He definitely looks small, but size doesn’t matter. Skills pay the bills, and what truly matters in the ring,” said Devin Haney to Fighthype when asked if he sized up Vasily Lomachenko during their face-off.
When having the kind of size advantage that Haney has over Loma, it doesn’t matter how skilled he is. You win on size alone. Also, Lomachenko isn’t young at 35. He’s no longer in his prime, and he’s facing a much younger 24-year-old Haney, who is at his best right now, being able to fight in a weight class that gives him an advantage.
“He’s fought bigger guys than me; Nakatani and somebody else,” said Haney about Lomachenko. “It shouldn’t matter about my size. We both weigh in at 135, and that’s all that matters,” said Haney about Lomachenko.
Haney says his ring IQ is “better” than Lomachenko
“I think my IQ is better. I don’t look to match him IQ for IQ. I come up from a different school than him. I respect the school he’s from and his amateur pedigree and all that.
“I come from the Floyd Mayweather school and my dad’s school of boxing with many different trainers. Vergil Hunter, Eddie Mustafa, Roy Jones, Floyd Sr. So many good different trainers. I come from a different school to showcase my IQ.
“Different routes. We’re both at the top. I wouldn’t say his route was better or my route was better,” said Haney about Loma. “We both made it to this point to fight for undisputed. Different routes will still lead you to the ultimate goal of being where we are,” said Haney.
