Haney defended his undisputed lightweight run on social media, reviving arguments over the controversial 2023 victory against Lomachenko
Devin Haney reignited debate over his controversial win against Vasiliy Lomachenko after defending the legitimacy of his undisputed lightweight reign on social media. Haney reminded critics that he defended the belts against Lomachenko after beating George Kambosos Jr. twice in Australia, immediately reopening arguments about the scorecards from their 2023 fight.
That’s cool & all.. don’t forget those belts were defended against Loma 😎 https://t.co/c95r79Beos
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) May 23, 2026
The response quickly reopened one of boxing’s longest-running arguments from the last few years. A large portion of fans and media members still believe Lomachenko deserved the decision in their May 2023 fight in Las Vegas, especially after the way he closed the second half of the bout.
Many observers scored the championship rounds for Lomachenko, with round ten remaining the biggest point of controversy. Judge Dave Moretti giving that round to Haney drew heavy criticism at the time and is still regularly mentioned whenever the fight is discussed online.
Others defended Haney’s victory as a close but legitimate decision based on his early work, jab, body punching, and control of distance. Haney also entered the fight with major physical advantages over Lomachenko, including youth, height, and reach.
Haney was 24 years old when he fought Lomachenko, who was already 35 and moving through the later part of his career. Haney also carried a significant reach edge and was viewed by many as the naturally bigger fighter at lightweight.
The fight still splits opinion throughout boxing, with some fans continuing to label it a robbery while others see it as a close decision that could reasonably have gone either way.
