Vasiliy Lomachenko is a fighter, who was a legend before he even turned pro. The star of the famed Ukrainian amateur boxing team, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, who only lost once as an amateur. Lomachenko fought for a world title in his second fight, though he lost - he won the belt in his third fight.
Lomachenko’s career is something we don’t see often in the modern athlete - legacy over money. Lomachenko’s decisions are strictly based on sport and greatness. Now, Lomachenko will be in a new position, one he has yet to be in as a professional - an underdog. On May 20th, Vasiliy Lomachenko will face Devin Haney with all four of the lightweight world titles on the line, in a pay-per-view clash on ESPN, that will be Lomachenko’s last chance to accomplish his last dream in the sport of boxing. ProBox TV News recently caught up with Lomachenko’s manager, Egis Klimas to get some insight into this marquee bout.
Lomachenko could’ve accomplished this goal last year, but a war between his native homeland in the Ukraine versus Russia conflict made him put his country first and his dreams in boxing came second. As Lomachenko stepped aside from an undisputed world title fight with George Kambosos Jnr, which allowed Devin Haney the opportunity to fight for the undisputed titles. Haney defeated Kambosos twice, last year, and now Haney stayed in the division to face the man, he wanted to face all the way back four years ago - in Lomachenko. Neither fighter will say it publicly, but both have respect for the journey, the path, and the accomplishments of the other - as this is a pay-per-view fight that is just as much sport as it is entertainment.
“Of course, it is a very special moment,” said Klimas to ProBox TV News. “This is what Lomachenko’s dream is. When [Lomachenko first turned pro] his goal was to become undisputed.”
Though you never will hear any details about the camp from team members prior to a fight other than the obligatory - things are going great, etc. One thing of note was the tone. You could hear in Klimas’ voice a sense of confidence in Lomachenko, not unlike what we heard from him prior to Oleksandr Usyk fighting Anthony Joshua, on both occasions. Will that result happen? Who knows - but the team has the utmost faith in Lomachenko, who on paper every physical advantage is working against him in terms of size, and age.
“Camp went great, good preparation,” said the manager of Vasiliy Lomachenko, Egis Klimas. “Loma is always a hard worker, we had the good sparring, so I think we’re ready. We’re ready [for next week in] Las Vegas.”
Follow this link, If you want to read our analysis on the Lomachenko vs Haney Fight 🥊
