Via Sam Volz: Bill Haney said Devin is now on the hunt for Vasyl Lomachenko following his win over Jamaine Ortiz last Saturday night in New York.
It’s interesting how Haney suddenly showed so much interest in fighting Lomachenko, 34, after how he went up against Ortiz.
Previously, Haney had been conflicted about going up against the two-time Olympic gold medalist, but you could argue that Loma’s effort against Jamaine gave Devin a lot of confidence.
Lomachenko showed a lot of fights against the previously undefeated Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KOs), which is understandable for a boxer about to take a year-long layoff due to him fighting in home.
Perhaps in response to Loma’s poor performance last weekend, coach/manager Bill was eager to get Lomachenko and Haney out.
Bill is concerned that Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) will need time to prepare for the match. Lomachenko didn’t say how much time he would need to prepare for Haney, but it’s reasonable to assume he’s talking about five months.
When you’re gearing up for a fight against a guy who looks like a heavyweight like Haney, there’s nothing wrong with Lomachenko spending five months getting ready for the clash.
Well, Haney might need up to 140 to fight while waiting for Lomachenko to prepare because it’s unlikely he’ll gain weight unless he’s exhausted.
If Haney is too impatient to wait for Lomachenko to prepare, he can always rise to 140 in the meantime and face the winner of the Regis Prograis vs Jose Zepeda match for the WBC lightweight title.
There’s also Teofimo Lopez, whom Haney can fight while waiting for Lomachenko.
“Devin said, ‘Make it happen,’“Bill Haney said to AKH when TV. “Devin is a hunter, and he is hunting for greatness. Now it finally comes down to executing the show and making it happen.
“We are fully committed to this fight, unlike Paulie Malignaggi who said we would not do it. [fight Vasyl Lomachenko]. We are not only doing it, but we are also leading it and encouraging influencers to participate in it.
“It will be a historic event in boxing for all ages. The truth is, we’ve been hunting Lomachenko forever. You enter the ring with Lomachenko, who has said that he will not fight you unless you have a belt.
“We are looking for Lomachenko. Lomachenko says he needs time. We were walking out of the ring, and he said, ‘I need time, but I’ll be ready.’ I said, ‘Dev, did you hear that?’ ‘Yes, I heard.’ I said, ‘Let’s see who else raises his hand while he’s taking his time.
“Lomachenko is someone Devin tried to put in the ring based on what people thought of him. Want to make sure this is the guy because we have nothing to beat Lomachenko but the respect of the people who respect him.
“This is the guy we were looking for, this is the guy we wanted to fight, and it was proof to Devin that he wanted to fight him back then, and he wanted to fight him. now,” Bill said.
