Devin Haney: After We Win, We Expect To Face Lomachenko

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Devin Haney: After We Win, We Expect To Face Lomachenko

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Devin Haney: After We Win, We Expect To Face Lomachenko

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Don’t count Devin Haney among those who believe Vasiliy Lomachenko is an unstoppable force. The Ukrainian southpaw added a third lightweight belt to his arsenal following a 12-round points win over Luke Campbell this past Saturday on the road in London, England. Throughout the fight and well into the weekend came kneejerk reaction suggesting that the two-time Olympic Gold medalist and three-division titlist is far and beyond the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today. His next potential mandatory challenger won’t validate or dismiss such a claim but certainly sees a worthy scalp to claim. “I could beat Loma, point blank, period,” Haney (22-0, 14KOs) insisted immediately after the fight, which streamed live on ESPN+ in the United States. The 20-year young contender from Las Vegas by way of San Francisco is in line to contend for the most recent lightweight title acquired by Lomachenko. He first has to get past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (11-0, 7KOs), as the pair of unbeaten lightweights collide in a DAZN-streamed title eliminator Sept. 13 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City. “Now back to training to F*** ABDULLAEV UP,” insisted Haney, perhaps obtaining motivation from what he witnessed on Saturday. The winner of Haney-Abdullaev will be the mandatory challenger to one of Lomachenko’s three lightweight titles. The belief, however, is that the 31-year old will first face the winner of the Dec. 14 clash between the dvision’s lone other titlist, Richard Commey and unbeaten mandatory challenger Teofimo Lopez. Whatever order Haney gets his title shot—provided he gets past Abdullaev—is of little concern. “This is why we partnered with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing USA,” Haney told BoxingScene.com. “We brought in Eddie to help deliver us a title fight. This bout with Zaur Abdullaev will get us there, and after we win we expect to face Vasiliy Lomachenko for at least three of the four lightweight titles.