Devin Haney Survives Tough Test vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko, but He Isn't a Star Just Yet
Devin Haney is trying hard to argue the point.
He's one of the best fighters in the world.
And though precisely no one confuses him with the lightweight likes of Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez or even "Boom Boom" Mancini, the 24-year-old's claim to precocious supremacy in the 135-pound division is as valid in today's climate as theirs were a generation or more ago.
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Like it or not.
"The Dream's" 12-rounder with former three-division king Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday night in Las Vegas was tactically titillating and consistently competitive, and the narrow unanimous nod with which he emerged was sufficient to retain a four-pack of gaudy title belts.
Haney had a championship leg to stand on since earning the WBC's title in a boardroom three years ago, but he'd added heft to his trophy case and legitimacy to his claim with six subsequent victories—including two straight over George Kambosos Jr. in 2022 that yielded the IBF, WBA and WBO straps.
The risk posed by a 35-year-old Lomachenko going in seemed more reputational than violent given that his most artistic and successful days had come nearly 10 pounds and 10 years earlier, and the Ukrainian's name was certainly the most recognizable on Haney's resume, even if his lightweight chops weren't transcendent.
Standing an inch taller at 5'8" and armed with a five-plus inch edge in reach, Haney expected to use size and space to force a smaller man away from his sublime wheelhouse and into a strategy where chasing decisive power shots—never a go-to even in his best moments—was his only legitimate hope.
But it wasn't quite that simple.
Lomachenko handled the size gap with aplomb and was actually the more dangerous fighter coming down the stretch, landing clean and powerful shots particularly in the 10th and 11th rounds. Haney retained both his consciousness and his pristine record in the 12th, however, steadying himself and rediscovering enough offense to win the round unanimously.
In fact, the rally provided the competitive cushion he needed on the way to margins of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the scorecards. Had he lost the round by a point across the board the fight would have ended in a majority draw.
Instead, it was his 15th straight distance fight with a sweep of the official tallies and prolonged a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-like streak that's never seen a foe get closer than two points in any individual judge's eyes. Mayweather went the distance 23 times from 1996 to 2015 and was 66-1-2 across those 69 scorecards, losing on one to Oscar De La Hoya and splitting one each with Marcos Maidana and Canelo Alvarez.
But where the "Pretty Boy" turned "Money" typically had grudging but widespread acclaim as the world's premier fighter, the unbeaten and undisputed Haney—one of only three four-belt champs across 17 weight classes—arrived to the weekend absent from The Ring's latest pound-for-pound rankings while Lomachenko, with a loss and a debated win in his last four fights, was seventh.
His minus-245 betting status screamed superstar.
His fanfare screamed meh.
And unless something changes, given the in-house fan sentiment that Lomachenko deserved better, it still might be a while before he gets fully over.
Winning one duel of Bob Arum-promoted opponents sets Haney up for another challenge from a Top Rank stablemate, in the form of fellow unbeaten 20-something Shakur Stevenson, who debuted at lightweight last month after brief title reigns at both 126 and 130 pounds.
Stevenson quickly swapped slots with Haney in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings following that fight, climbing past him from 10th to ninth with a sixth-round TKO of Shuichiro Yoshino.
And he did nothing Saturday night to squash a rivalry.
The New Jersey favorite first claimed that Haney and his team exited the ring upon seeing him approach after the fight, then suggested on the ESPN broadcast that Lomachenko deserved to be the undisputed champ before going all-in on an "I've got next" callout.
"Devin is not at my level and I'm gonna show it," Stevenson said.
"He's a tough fighter but it's a higher skill level that I have."
Indeed, Haney appears relegated to a perception B-side if he tries to make 135—he was a tenth of a pound over at Friday's first weigh-in—against either Stevenson or self-anointed "face of boxing" Gervonta Davis (ranked 10th by The Ring), and his stature would be even less imposing on the 140-pound likes of Josh Taylor (ranked eighth by The Ring), who stands two inches taller and has fought at heavy as 146.
Stevenson is a consensus star. Davis is a proven seat filler. Taylor has been a four-belt champ. Haney wants a seat at the table and still seems to be pining for an invite.
His sudden shove into Lomachenko's chest on Friday was branded as a prelude to imposing his will on a smaller opponent, but it appeared far more like a demand for attention by a guy whose skill set is beyond question while his needle remains motionless on the "it" factor scale—titles or no titles. And during the fight itself, the imposition never seemed close.
"Lomachenko is HBO storied, and fans haven't forgotten," ex-blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley told Bleacher Report. "Shouldn't (weigh on Haney) but it might. Most all of them are sensitive divas. Mark of individual sports."
Toward that end, Lomachenko delivered an even more telling post-fight blow.
"Before the fight I thought (Haney) would be better," he said. "He's a tough fighter. He's a good fighter. But he's not a pound-for-pound fighter."
Ouch.
"Star power?" SiriusXM host Randy Gordon told Bleacher Report. "Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis are the guys with star power in the lightweight division. Haney (needed) an overwhelming victory to make fans think he is the No. 1 in the division."
Victory? Yes. Overwhelming? Hardly.
And if you think the road gets easier, think again.
"They called me out and then they ran out the ring," Stevenson said. "I can't wait."
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