Tuesday, May 16
There is little question that the first day’s build-up for Devin Haney-Vasyl Lomachenko was, in comparison to that for last month’s fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia in the same city of Las Vegas, relatively flat.
Davis, then an hour late to his grand arrival, presented that occasion with every chance not to deliver, but though both Haney and Lomachenko were on time, there simply wasn’t the same anticipation for not only the world’s leading lightweight – Davis is also a lightweight – but one of the finest fighters of all time, which no doubt is a reflection of the world in 2023.
Davis and Garcia have so far proved more marketable than Haney and Lomachenko. Davis also carried the notoriety of being due in court to be sentenced having pleaded guilty to a hit and run. By comparison the great Lomachenko speaks little English and has little desire to pretend to be anything other than the admirable professional he is, and Haney, though a fine fighter and as proficient as Davis and Garcia in the use of social media, lacks their perceived crossover appeal.
The compère’s attempts to convince those in attendance at the lobby of the MGM Grand and watching from afar that the “atmosphere is electric” were even less convincing than Haney’s attempts to make weight for his rematch, in October, with George Kambosos Jr. On that occasion he appeared at risk of running on empty on fight night, and though he won convincingly, like he had little future at 135lbs.
On Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, however, he will defend all four world lightweight titles and likely do so having looked far healthier on the scales the previous day. There remains sufficient time for him to struggle to cut the last few pounds for Friday’s weigh-in, but on Tuesday he looked healthy and hydrated, and as a consequence he was both happy and excited – a considerable contrast to the previous occasions ProBox TV has seen him mid-training camp.
That his most lucrative potential fights are likely against Davis and Shakur Stevenson might also yet convince him to remain at 135lbs in the event of victory over Lomachenko. The 24-year-old also betrayed the cause of some of his excitement when he spoke to the written press, and revealed that as a long-term resident of Vegas he had previously attended the grand arrivals for the fight, in 2015, between Andre Berto and Floyd Mayweather, who he has long modelled himself on (there are even occasions when Haney’s mannerisms are identical to those of Mayweather (he is regardless considerably more likeable, and by comparison even grounded)).
“It was crazy,” he said of that occasion, when he would have been a teenager. “It was like, amazing. It was crazy then. But now it’s even crazier. Like, not real – it’s surreal. It’s crazy that this is me now.”
Lomachenko, at 35 and understandably more occupied by the war in his home country of Ukraine than anything related to Mayweather, was in no way excited when he spoke to the same compere – potentially because he might even have previously heard his description of the MGM as a “legendary property” and was resisting treating him with suitable disdain.
“No more words, just, May 20th, Saturday night, that’s it,” he answered with confidence to one of the first questions the compere asked of the fighter he called, to his face, “Loma”. If the music could have been turned down when he spoke he might actually have been tempted to say more.
Wednesday, May 17
The extent to which Saturday’s fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko represents a clash of cultures was, unintentionally or otherwise, brought into focus throughout the course of Wednesday’s final press conference.
For the second day in succession Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion, mentioned Allah, and on Wednesday his father, trainer and manager Bill joined him in doing so. Lomachenko, for the second day in succession, mentioned god, and while at both the top table and when being interviewed wore a t-shirt that read “Bless the lord, Psalm 103”. The latter, on further inspection, includes the lines “Praise the lord… who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”, which may well be what resonates with the 35-year-old fighting to become the undisputed champion and therefore fulfil the ambition he has held since turning professional. The Jewish Bob Arum, incidentally, sat between them throughout.
It was in 2013 when, aged 25, Lomachenko made his professional debut and defeated Jose Luis Ramirez, having concluded one of the finest of all amateur careers by winning two Olympic golds.
Haney, 24, resisted the temptation to pursue glory at the Olympics to instead turn professional at 17, and did so in Tijuana, Mexico, because he and Bill Haney believed he didn’t have a day to waste.
It was also notable that Lomachenko, so superbly crafted by the unique methods of his father and trainer Anatoly that include brain-training exercises – hip hop enthusiast Bill Haney’s methods were learned from, among others, Roy Jones Jr, Floyd Sr and Roger Mayweather – was again joined by only his manager Egis Klimas. Anatoly will work his son’s corner on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but resisted joining Lomachenko and Klimas, who sat with the former champion as much to translate as to support him. Lomachenko has the air of a determined fighter not in need of support. Klimas even – and somewhat refreshingly – corrected himself from using traditional boxing parlance when saying “we’re ready” to instead stress that he meant that Lomachenko is ready for Saturday’s fight. For his part, Lomachenko sounded like a fighter relishing and anticipating a tactical battle.
Haney, by contrast – and perhaps naturally, given he is a long-term resident of Vegas – may only have been joined at the top table by his father but had numerous friends and family among the crowd who were vocal in their support.
The contrasts between the two fighters continued when they faced off and provided a reminder of the extent to which Haney is considerably bigger than his challenger – not that that discouraged the compere for ESPN and Top Rank from attempting to suggest that Saturday’s fight is likely to be a toe-to-toe battle and test of each fighter’s heart. A more accurate reflection of what could unfold likely exists in the ballroom next to the Grand Garden Arena, where in front of one of their fight posters Top Rank have placed a giant chess board and matching pieces.
Before Wednesday’s press conference concluded Haney, perhaps revealingly, went out of his way to speak of his appreciation for Top Rank during his short time with the influential promoters. His contract with them expires after Saturday’s fight, after which, in the event of the convincing victory widely predicted, he will be the world’s most valuable free agent, and yet he spoke – likely previously prompted to do so by his studious father – as though he was hoping to renew terms.
Thursday, May 18
Two days before the biggest fight of both fighters’ careers, there is a relative lack of buzz around Las Vegas for the undisputed lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko.
Thursday’s undercard press conference was a typically unremarkable affair that, in isolation, did little to reflect the significance of the main event. In Haney, that main event features one of the world’s most exciting young champions against a challenger, in Lomachenko, who is among the finest fighters of all time.
To compare the media room at the MGM Grand with a month ago for the build-up for the fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, however, is to be reminded that neither fighter has truly crossed over. The clean-living Haney – though proficient in his use of social media – is not a social-media attraction nor marketing material on a par with Garcia. He is also not associated with Floyd Mayweather in the same way as Davis, whose following also owes partly to the notoriety he carries around with him as a consequence of a succession of unsavoury incidents in his life outside of the ring.
Where numerous A-list celebrities attended Davis-Garcia – a non-title fight at a catchweight of 136lbs – and on the two days before the fight the media room was filled with high-profile retired fighters making themselves available to speak about their rivalry, there is no such celebrity or presence of retired fighters around Haney-Lomachenko, even though many of those fighters will be aware that it may even be the superior fight.
“I think it’s a hangover from the [successful] pay-per-views with Tank-Garcia and [Calub] Plant-David] Benavidez,” one experienced figure working on the Top Rank promotion speculated to ProBox TV.
There also remain numerous tickets for sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena – a smaller but more historic venue than the T-Mobile, which staged the sold-out Davis-Garcia – and Top Rank’s Bob Arum has similarly recognised the extent to which social media interest potentially “distorted” last month’s fight.
Early on Thursday evening ProBox TV made plans to meet Russ Anber, Lomachenko’s respected cutsman and cornerman, and by coincidence, when doing so saw Lomachenko and an associate stroll largely untroubled across the lobby of the MGM Grand. That he resists surrounding himself with an entourage no doubt contributes to his ability to do so – and that he is a Ukrainian with a limited grasp of English will have done little to help the crossover appeal of his latest fight. Equally notable, once again, regardless, was to witness how small he is ahead of a fight with a fighter destined, at the very least, for 140lbs.
Friday, May 19
Friday brought the first day that Devin Haney-Vasyl Lomachenko started to resemble the size of attraction it deserves. The undisputed lightweight title fight between a champion among the world’s finest fighters and a challenger among the finest of all time attracted queues to the weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena that was free for the public to attend.
High-profile and respected pundits – Timothy Bradley and Andre Ward among them – have made it to Las Vegas, the latter, who retired undefeated after successive victories over Sergey Kovalev, looking so youthful and healthy at his 39 years that he represents the most suitable possible argument for a fighter retiring while he remains at his peak.
Among those also at Friday’s weigh-in were Lou DiBella, so heavily involved with Haney’s two fights in Melbourne with George Kambosos Jr that established Haney as the undisputed champion, and Kambosos Jr, who earlier this week agreed promotional terms with Top Rank. Lomachenko rejected the fight with Kambosos Jr for all four lightweight titles – presenting Haney with the opportunity to replace him – to instead help defend his country amid the invasion of Russia. Kambosos Jr will almost certainly be hoping that the Ukrainian wins and defends his titles against him next.
The staged weigh-in, which came later than the advertised time of 4pm, came after a private weigh-in on Friday morning, when Haney – who so clearly had struggled to make weight for his rematch with Kambosos Jr – looked healthy at 134.9lbs, and Lomachenko weighed 135lbs. Much of the build-up to their fight has surrounded the significant size advantage held by Haney. It is close to unheard of for the champion not to be presented with every possible opportunity to defend his titles, but for him to have almost 36 hours to rehydrate, as a fighter widely recognised as destined for 140lbs against another at his best at super featherweight, seems unjust. It came as little surprise when a member of Lomachenko’s team expressed their frustrations to ProBox TV.
Haney, whose body carried the traces of cupping therapy – used to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, well-being and as a form of deep-tissue massage – as expected looked considerably bigger than his challenger. That he then so aggressively – and uncharacteristically – got into Lomachenko’s face and shoved him at their face-off potentially betrayed his nerves.
That he had already made weight hours earlier would have taken the edge off of whatever struggles he had previously had to make the scales. That Lomachenko simply smiled at him while Haney was in his face may also have frustrated him; the shove certainly didn’t come across as pre-meditated. Is it unthinkable that having so confidently started chasing Lomachenko four years ago, the day before fighting such a decorated opponent he is more aware than ever of the potential risks?
Saturday’s fight, and indeed perhaps Haney himself, will reveal much about how tough he found it to again make 135lbs. His appearance at the weigh-in, regardless, suggests there should be no urgency for him to move up.
Saturday, May 20
At the end of a fight week in which interest from outside of the boxing bubble in Devin Haney-Vasyl Lomachenko was lower than such a high quality match-up deserved, the atmosphere at the full MGM Grand Garden Arena told the story of a 14,436-strong crowd that was fully invested in their undisputed lightweight title fight.
Junto Nakatani teed up the main event by, on the undercard in Las Vegas, knocking out Australia’s Andrew Moloney with a punch just like that from Manny Pacquiao that so memorably knocked out Ricky Hatton at the very same venue in 2009.
The retired David Haye, in Sin City with Chris Eubank Jr, who with Roy Jones Jr he is helping to prepare for his rematch with Liam Smith, confidently predicted victory for Haney, to ProBox TV, pre-fight, and was stopped by numerous fans asking for a photo, despite the fact that the only time he fought in the US came at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles when he was a little-known fighter.
Lou DiBella made his way to the media section to discuss the imminent main event. Like Haye, he expected Haney to win, but said that Haney shoving Lomachenko at Friday’s weigh-in had left a big impression on him and left him significantly less confident in the outcome. A DAZN representative in the same section of the arena could be overheard talking up the possibility of a fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga, which regardless struck ProBox TV as unlikely.
The Mexican’s former promoter Oscar De La Hoya appeared on the big screen, and was booed so loudly that it was as though those in attendance had forgotten what a fine fighter he once was, and also that many of his biggest fights had happened not only in the same city, but the same venue. De La Hoya, not unlike Eddie Hearn when he was booed similarly, smiled at his reception but struggled to hide that he was hurt. Mark Wahlberg also appeared on the same screen, and was then cheered.
Shortly before the main event a ten count was observed for Jim Brown, the American footballer whose death at the age of 87 was announced on Friday. When Lomachenko then made his way to the ring he was loudly cheered like a local hero – which in many respects felt like the least he deserved, given that recognition of what a great fighter he once was, and in many ways remains, isn’t as widespread as it perhaps ought to be. Haney, a long-term resident of Vegas and the American fighting an eastern European, was booed even more loudly.
Every time Lomachenko let his hands go he was cheered; every time he landed with authority the crowd reacted; by comparison the reaction to Haney’s output was minimal. At the final bell few among the media had scored in favour of Haney, but there was a widespread recognition that the rounds had been difficult to score and therefore that the scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 perhaps weren’t unjust. The crowd, affronted by the scores, again booed; some voiced their objection to those among the media; one even shouted at ESPN’s Max Kellerman, while he was overseeing a live broadcast, to encourage him to tell what he perceived to be the truth. “It wasn’t even close,” he also shouted.
Shakur Stevenson, fresh from an exchange with Haney in the ring, post-fight, told ProBox TV on his way out of the arena that he had scored Lomachenko the winner by eight rounds to four. DiBella had scored a draw, but also recognised the difficulty involved in scoring so competitive a contest. Most significant, before the post-fight press conference, felt Top Rank’s Derrick Harmon, the amateur trainer who first recognised Haney’s significant promise and a friend of the Haney family, also telling ProBox TV that he had scored in favour of Lomachenko.
When ESPN broadcast, live, Lomachenko crying in his dressing room at the sense of injustice, it made the scoring feel particularly cruel. Similarly, after both fighters’ post-fight press conferences – Top Rank didn’t appear embarrassed by the scoring, which promoters often struggle to hide on the occasions judges really do get it wrong – everyone present dispersed to wherever they were next headed, with how cruel a place Vegas can be in their minds.
