By Craig Daly: Devin Haney looks in outstanding condition for the second title defense of his undisputed lightweight championship against challenger Vasily Lomachenko on May 20th in Las Vegas.
Haney’s fundamental problem is that his resume is paper thin, and he’s viewed as little more than a ‘weight bully’ by fans, a guy that fights against smaller opponents and should be competing at 140 or 147, given his huge frame.
The overriding question is, WHY isn’t Haney fighting in a weight class that is more suited to his huge welterweight-sized frame? When we saw Haney recently standing next to Terence Crawford, looking bigger than him, that pretty much told the whole story about the 24-year-old Devin being a weight bully in the eyes of the fans.
Despite being the undisputed lightweight champion, Haney seems dissatisfied and almost bitter with the lack of praise that he’s getting from boxing fans, as he feels he’s not yet received the respect that he craves.
When a fighter is as big as Haney is for the 135-lb division, it’s only natural that fans do not give him the adoration that he seems to need to eliminate the huge chip on his shoulder that he clearly has.
Haney says that after he beats the 35-year-old Lomachenko on May 20th, he’ll get his “respect’ from people.
Aside from looking like a classic example of a fighter competing in a weight class that is well below his frame, Haney’s resume is poor, with no real substance, which is another reason he doesn’t receive respect.
“It’s going to showcase my skills and showcase that I’m the best fighter in the world,” said Devin Haney to Fight Hub TV about his upcoming May 20th title defense against Vasily Lomachenko.
“I am the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. I’m just going to keep beating them one by one. Keep lining them up and knocking them down, and eventually, I’m going to get my respect,” continued Haney.
“I’m definitely getting more respect than I was before, and after this fight [against Vasily Lomachenko], I’ll get even more respect after I’m victorious. I see myself being dominant the whole time. I’ve been feeling like that,” said Devin.
Showing off his four titles, the unbeaten 24-year-old Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) looks carved up as if he were ready to step inside the ring tomorrow to defend against the former three-division world champion Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs).
