By Dan Ambrose: Devin Haney says he’s only going to stay at 135 long enough for him to get a couple more fights against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Shakur Stevenson before h moves up to 140.
With that being said, Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) states that he’ll decide whether to stay at lightweight after his next fight against Vasily Lomachenko on May 20th.
Devin is defending his undisputed 135-lb championship Loma (17-2, 11 KOs) on ESPN PPV at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Given how big Haney has looked recently, it’s questionable whether he can still make the 135-lb limit, and if he does, whether he’ll be weight drained and vulnerable.
The 24-year-old Haney isn’t going to beat Lomachenko the same way that he twice defeated George Kambosos Jr by jabbing from a distance and tying him up in a clinch every time he gets near, initiating 20+ tie-ups per round.
That won’t work against Lomachenko because he’s now how to escape the clinches. In that respect, Loma is like a modern-day Houdini, and he’ll find a way to either avoid Haney’s nonstop tie-ups or wriggle free so he can get hit shots off.
Haney only staying at 135 for Tank & Stevenson
“That’s a huge fight. A guy like Stevenson, Tank, or Ryan is the only way I would stay at 135. That depends on how I feel on May 20th. How successful I am in the weight class, and then we’ll go from there,” said Devin Haney to ESPN Deportes.
It makes sense for Haney to try and stay at 135 for another two fights to face Tank & Shakur. However, if Haney can’t get the fight against Gervonta next, he should move up to 140 because his chances of success against Shakur Stevenson are minimal, particularly if he’s weight drained from making the 135-lb limit.
As big as Haney is, he could also have problems making weight for his fights at 140. If Haney’s unbeaten record is more important than money, he should move up to 147 because it’ll be much easier for him to make weight for that division than at 135 or 140.
“The only way I stay at 135 is for a guy like Stevenson, a guy like Tank or Ryan,” said Haney. “I don’t plan on being here much longer. This is my first weight class. I’ve been at 135 since I was 16 years old.
“It all depends on how I feel on May 20th. Of course, I’ve got the best team in boxing. I’ve got a great nutritionist, and I’m taking all the right steps to make it successful, but you never know until you get in that ring,’ said Haney.
There are only a few fights that'd keep @Realdevinhaney at lightweight after his upcoming fight with Loma đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/JvoQnRj8ku
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) May 1, 2023
“That makes Lomachenko that much more dangerous because he came back in the [Masayoshi] Nakatani fight and looked absolutely amazing,” said Chris Algieri to ProBox TV. “Maybe that shoulder was a problem in the Teofimo fight.
Lomachenko with chip on his shoulder
“When there’s a chip on Lomachnko’s shoulder, he’s got that dog in him, and he knows how to bite down,” said Algieri. “We really haven’t seen that from Haney yet. It’s curious. That press conference was telling in a lot of ways.
“One, the obvious on the size. How much bigger Devin Haney is. They’re two weight classes apart, easily. But also, as Paulie pointed out, the psychological warfare that’s going on,” said Algieri.
“There’s a factor I’m dying to share with you guys because we know that Lomachenko has been participating actively in this Ukrainian war against Russia,” said Claudia Trejos.
“He has been active in the border of Ukraine. So this is a man that I dare say has seen things that we can’t imagine. So when you get to a point like we’ve talked about, turning a corner and changing a chapter. At this point in time, he has a completely different perspective of what life is all about coming to this fight. I’m not taking anything away from his boxing skills,” said Trejos.
“He’s coming from a place where a war is going on. He’s made investments there, money there,” said Paulie Malignaggi about Lomachenko. “He almost has to reset himself, both professionally, personally, and financially off of this fight.
“You don’t know what kind of topsy-turvy things that have happened in all those facets of his life because of this war. But I also saw him that there’s a calm demeanor to him. This guy has won two gold medals,” said Malignaggi.
Loma values world title more than gold medal
“I was listening to an interview he did where he said this is just as big as the gold medals he won in his career,” Malignaggi said. “Those are pretty much the biggest things you win in boxing. Even becoming a world champion, winning a gold medal [in the Olympics], people will tell you is more special than a world championship in professionals,” said Malignaggi.
“They carry more weight,” said Trejos about winning an Olympic gold medal is more important.
“The fact that Lomachenko says winning a world title is just as important as winning a gold medal performance in boxing, there is a calm motivation there that people aren’t seeing,” said Malignaiggi.
“Also, Haney has felt disrespected because even guys like me, I haven’t seen him search out the true toughest fights. He’s talked about them but he hasn’t gotten them. I think he wants to show others like me that he’s on this level. He’s on this level.
“People like me, I believe Haney is on this level. I just have curiosity when I haven’t seen a fighter step up. We know you’re good, we know the ability is there, but unless I see you against a certain level of fighters, I don’t know how good it can go.
“I see the potential is there. You can be as good as a lot of the top guy or better,” said Malignaggi.
“That’s why they’re called intangibles,” said Algieri. “The things that you can’t see and can’t measure.”
“You can only see them in this kind of fight, and being that we haven’t seen them in these kinds of fights. Even though he’s talked about them and hasn’t taken them, but guys like Teofimo Lopez are constantly taking tough fights, for example,” said Malignaggi.
