Although the buzz for the undisputed lightweight fight between Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) and Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) wasn’t that big in the weeks leading up to it, once Saturday approached, it was highly anticipated. This is how boxing events have gone in the last few years as society’s attention span grows shorter and shorter. Once Haney and Loma were across each other, the level of excitement was through the roof from boxing fans in attendance and those watching and commenting on Twitter.
This is where things got interesting. We all knew that Lomachenko would be the best version of himself, but at what level was the question. He’s 35, and when you are an athlete who performs at a high level while relying on speed and footwork to dominate your opponents, age starts to catch up to you. Lomachenko wasn’t slow last night, but he was the 35-year-old version of himself, which is much better than most prime fighters. It wasn’t enough to secure the victory last night, or was it?
It’s go time! 😤 #HaneyLoma pic.twitter.com/awLmDG87nq
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) May 21, 2023
Haney seemed caught off guard by Loma starting as early as the second round, and as I tweeted last night, Haney had never had to work this hard in a fight during his young career. All credit to Haney as he made some great adjustments while Lomachenko was doing what he does best; move in angles, counter, and force his opponent’s fatigue faster than they anticipated. The one punch that kept Lomachenko honest throughout the fight was a counter right uppercut to the body by Haney which kept taking a little zing out of Lomachenko throughout the fight. Haney had some good moments, and to his credit, we didn’t get the excessive holding version of him. However, the rabbit punches were an issue for Haney, with the referee consistently warning him about it.
Lomachenko, on the other hand, was landing hard shots on Haney, and one can argue that he landed the cleaner shots. In the 11th round, Lomachenko had Haney on shaky legs; it was the first time he was in real trouble. Even with that, Lomachenko was still cautious of the counter shots and tried to set Haney up with enough counter shots oh his own to create a knockdown, but it just didn’t happen. According to the judges ' scorecards, Lomachenko’s mistake was that he didn’t build on that 11th round momentum in the last round, which cost him the fight. When the scorecards were read and Haney was announced as the unanimous decision winner, Lomachenko smiled but looked disappointed as he felt his hand should have been raised.
The division runs through @RealDevinHaney 👑 pic.twitter.com/vb4O7FlX3N
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 21, 2023
Now we come up to the discussion of the decision. 115-113 to either man is the right score, as that fight was close. I could even see a draw, but the 116-112 card wasn’t the fight everyone saw last night. We are again discussing a scorecard from a judge that has seen better days. Boxing has to bring in newer, younger judges as we must stop using these old judges who keep turning in these questionable scorecards. Enough about that; I thought Lomachenko squeezed out the victory, but a draw would have been fine. I did think he landed the cleaner shots but all credit to Haney for hanging in there with a future Hall of Famer.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR DEVIN HANEY?
"Devin not on my level."@ShakurStevenson sounds off 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/oLl3HDmELC
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 21, 2023
Haney is a fighter that allows public opinion to get to him more than some of the other fighters. He will not stop hearing people’s opinions about the scorecards and will have to decide his next fight. Haney is in a great position once again as he can make Top Rank open their wallets even more and sign another short deal for the rematch, or he can move to 140 lbs and see what Eddie Hearn and DAZN have to say. I think he will weigh both options and see which is more lucrative. If the public demand for a rematch is loud enough and the budget allows it, we may get the rematch, but for now, the conversation will continue with who won the fight last night between Haney and Lomachenko.
JUNTO NAKANTANI ANNOUNCES HIS ARRIVAL TO THE WORLD ON THE BIGGEST STAGE
For those who don’t know, Junto Nakatani (25-0, 19 KOs) is a real problem in the super flyweight division, and he showed why last night. His opponent Andrew Moloney (25-3, 16 KOs) is no slouch and rightfully earned his shot at the vacant WBO crown. But Saturday night belonged to Nakatani, and he dominated the fight from start to finish, all behind that long right jab. The nail in the coffin was the knockout of the year candidate in the last round, which has already made its rounds through social media. The overhand left that was heard around the world by Nakatani landed flush on Moloney, and the referee stopped it immediately in the 12th round right after he hit the canvas. Moloney showed a ton of heart in that fight, but his corner should have stopped it long before that devastating knockout.
WORLD CHAMPION 🏆
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 21, 2023
Nakatani does it in devastating fashion 🇯🇵 #HaneyLoma pic.twitter.com/PtGRLRp4g3
After the fight, Nakatani said, "I was very pleased and satisfied to have a good knockout. I was ready for him and his style. I knew he would fight that way, and we adjusted to that. I think this win opens up a big road for me. I want unification fights. It can be against anybody. It can be with [Juan Francisco] Estrada or anybody.” Oh, “Gallo” Estrada is the fight that the hardcore fans would much desire, and you do that one in Southern California, and it will be a big event. If you haven’t followed Nakatani, you should now, as he was a problem at flyweight and not an even bigger problem at super flyweight.
