DEVIN Haney is looking to make a statement against Vasiliy Lomachenko this Saturday night.
The 24-year-old defended his undisputed lightweight crown against the former lightweight champion at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.
For Haney, this isn’t just about winning, it means more than that. This is his chance to assert his authority over the division and bring the curtain down on a legendary career.
“I wanted to beat him so badly. I want him to retire,” he said in episode 2 of Top Rank Blood Sweat & Tears show.
Haney developed a grudge against the Ukrainian player stemming from the fact that this fight wasn’t done in 2019 when he started calling him out.
Since then, both men’s careers have gone in different directions. Lomachenko suffered a crushing defeat to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020, but boxing was put in the spotlight when his country was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Eleven months ago, Haney became champion when he traveled to Australia to defeat George Kambosos Jr before successfully defending his first match in a Down Under rematch.
The points Lomachenko won against Jamaine Ortiz last October helped pave the way for the match against Haney to take place. The 35-year-old is currently in an unfamiliar position of the underdog before Saturday night.
Haney commented: “Loma has never been a loser, this is the first time.
“This time he fought a bigger guy, a stronger guy, a faster guy, a younger guy. All odds are against him and on May 20th I will show the world why. Whatever he wears on the night of the fight won’t be enough, I’ll make him look normal, I’ll make him look normal.
“I’ll embarrass him and he won’t.”
