By Jim Calfa: Vasily Lomachenko made it clear today that he doesn’t view Devin Haney as the next Floyd Mayweather Jr as some do ahead of their fight on May 20th.
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) and undisputed lightweight champion Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) took part in their kickoff press conference today for their May 20th fight on ESPN+ PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Haney, 24, looked massive with his welterweight-sized frame standing next to Lomachenko, and it’s hard to contemplate the two competing because they looked like they were 3 to 4 divisions apart in size.
You can’t blame Haney for fighting in a smaller weight class than his body frame because if you threw him in with the killers at 147, like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, he’d likely be torn apart and ruining his money-making ability.
Unfortunately for Haney, he won’t receive full credit if he beats Lomachenko due to the difference in sizes and the age factor.
In addition to being several weight classes larger than Lomachenko, the 24-year-old Haney is a lot younger than the 35-year-old Loma, and he looked better in his last fight against George Kambosos Jr than he did against Jamaine Ortiz.
“Look, it’s a fight, no excuses,” said Vasily Lomachenko to the media today during the kick-off press conference with Devin Haney if he has any injury problems.
“Yes, yes, yes, because it’s too close and I’ll be honest with you, it’s the last chance for me to be undisputed world champion. That’s why it’s very important,” said Lomachenko when asked if this is the most excited he’d ever been for a fight.
“I don’t think about this question. I just focus on our fight and I just focus on my goal,” said Lomachenko when asked if he feels his fight with Haney is more important than the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia match on April 22nd.
“I’ll check, I don’t know,” Lomachenko said on whether Haney is the biggest & strongest fighter he’s faced during his career. “The second [Haney vs. George Kambosos Jr bout] was very interesting and was a very high level, and I like it.
“Maybe, I don’t know. For me, not, but somebody, maybe, yes,” said Lomachenko when told that many boxing fans view Haney as the second coming of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“This chance is the biggest moment in my professional career. This chance, this fight. I don’t want to talk about the future. We don’t know the result,” said Lomachenko.