Via Chris Williams: Former lightweight champion Chris Algieri disagrees with many fans treating undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney’s win over Vasyl Lomachenko as a robbery last Saturday night.
Algieri points out that many rounds are over and could have gone one of two ways. Haney’s body punch and his superior power in his shots were key to helping him win many rounds.
Lomachenko looks much smaller than Haney, two places shorter than the giant champion.
Haney’s rehydration weight was not revealed during the broadcast of the match on ESPN, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he was around 155. That’s a huge number for someone underweight. Meanwhile, Lomachenko looks no bigger than 138, and he lacks muscle.
Unfortunately for Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs), he waited too long before turning up the heat with Haney (30-0, 15 KOs), and he lost a lot in the first 8 rounds.
Haney-Lomachenko is not a robbery
“Everybody panicked about this being some kind of robbery. The war was too close. How crazy will you be? Chris Algieri said to Inside live boxingreflects last Saturday’s fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko.
“Inside the ring, I thought Loma won, but I looked at my scoreboard and it was a draw. I think you have to look at those body shots [from Haney]. They’re consistent, they’re tough, and a lot of the punches Lomachenko throws are backslashes.
“Haney’s heads bounce back, but they’re not really hard and do damage. I get the feeling in the arena that Loma is a much smaller guy and doesn’t throw with bad intentions. His punches don’t land like thunder.
“It was a close fight. If you have Loma winning, I get it. If you have a draw, I get it. If you let Haney win close, I get it. The scoreboard isn’t crazy. Robbery is obvious. This is not clear,” Algieri said.
Haney’s body punch won him in the fight
“It is a modern classic. Dan Canobbio said the punch to the body probably helped Haney win. “I was just as surprised as you were. Half of his connections are body shots. I agree with you. Haney looks big and Loma looks small.
“A lot of Loma’s punches look like punches to the arm. They don’t look like they’re scoring, but they’re precise, and they come from corners you don’t see them coming, and they catch Haney off guard from left and right.
“Every round was close to the last three, that’s the main reason the fans at home thought Lomachenko won the game because that was the last thing they saw. The last three rounds.
“In the tenth round, Lomachenko overtook him 11-5. You can look at the ring. I think it was a clear inning for Lomachenko. Dave Moretti scores for Haney. I do not know how. Moretti needs to say ‘good night’ and ‘goodbye’.
“The last three rounds. 44-18 connections for Lomachenko. I thought you were late. Those first eight or nine rounds are razor thin. These are equal boys, though 35 and 24 [age difference] and one guy is a lot bigger than the other in Haney.
“It is a modern classic. It’s a great back-and-forth classic at the edge of your chair. I can only feel it in the arena. Haney-Loma is for purists. It was a great fight. I wish there were 12 more rounds.
Devin won’t get credit for winning
Canobbio said: “It’s bad for Haney because he won, but I don’t think he’s going to get the full credit. “I was just reading through the comments, and most people thought that Lomachenko won that match; even Bradley said it after the battle.
“Listen, he’s getting a paycheck, and he’s got all the belts,” Algieri said of Haney. “He might cry all the way to the bank. He just beat a Hall of Famer, and he said it. He can beat Lomachenko, one of the best boxers of our generation.
“It was not a robbery in the sense that we would go back and overturn the decision. Are not. People like Lomacheenko. He is a very good guy. He’s humble, and he speaks the entire Ukrainian language.
“Haney became a villain in the preparation for this war. He became very unlikable in the lead up to this fight, but I think it was his own actions. They want that,” said Algieri.
“Do you think Lomachenko did it too late? There weren’t many shows, but I think the shows went to Loma, especially the 10th and 11th rounds,” Canobbio said.
