Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney appears likely to be granted his longstanding wish to fight Vasyl Lomachenko in the coming months.
The unbeaten American held the WBC belt when the Ukrainian held straps from all four governing bodies, including the WBC Franchise belt which precluded him from definitively claiming ‘undisputed’ for himself.
Those four belts travelled to Haney via Teofimo Lopez Jr. - who beat Lomachenko - and then George Kambosos Jr, and now the pair look set to meet this May.
Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, Akin Reyes and Barak Bess discussed the merits of the fight.
Reyes said: “I don’t think people understand how big this fight is. Lomachenko, remember, is a guy who for a very long time was considered one of the best fighters in the world. Very skilled. Bob Arum said he’s the best fighter he’s ever seen.
“Then, the young Devin Haney goes all the way to Australia to prove himself twice and becomes undisputed the first time, and defends all those titles right back, and has been calling out Lomachenko since the Matchroom days. This is not a guy who has been waiting for Lomachenko to get old and show some vulnerability. This is a guy who’s been wanting this fighter for a long time.”
Bess thinks the fight is a chance for spectators to finally find out whether 35-year-old fighter Lomachenko is now suffering the effects of age and a long career.
He explained: “We don’t know for sure if [a tough fight against Jamaine Ortiz] was age because before that he had two good fights: Masayoshi Nakatani - and destroyed him - and Richard Commey.
“I don’t see any difference with Loma, I just think Jamaine was that good. But I do think Lomachenko has never really fought anybody like Haney. Devin is longer, taller, faster, smart. Hardly ever makes mistakes, hardly ever has a lapse of focus, and he’s never fought anyone like Loma.”