Devin Haney-Vasyl Lomachenko: US lightweight retains undisputed world titles and remains undefeated with CONTROVERSIAL unanimous decision victory over Ukrainian
- Devin Haney successfully defended his undisputed world lightweight titles
- In a fascinating duel at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he defeated Vasyl Lomachenko
- Controversy surrounded the unanimous decision victory after a close match
Devin Haney defended his undisputed world lightweight title against Vasyl Lomachenko in a controversial unanimous decision.
In an intriguing battle at a sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, both fighters put on a great show as the fight ebbed and flowed over the 12 rounds.
Former unified lightweight champion and two-time Olympic champion Lomachenko was by far the toughest opponent for the previously undefeated Haney, who had won all 29 of his previous fights.
When the final bell rang, it was still uncertain who would emerge victorious from their epic clash before the judges ruled in favor of the American.
The fight was scored 116-112 115-113 115-113 in favor of a delighted Haney, leaving ‘Loma’ clearly devastated in the ring.
Devin Haney defended his undisputed world lightweight title against Vasyl Lomachenko
In an intriguing showdown, both fighters showed great as they threw punches all the way through
Haney (30-0, 15 KOs), 24, had unified all four major titles with a victory over George Kambosos Jr. in June 2022 – something he successfully defended in October.
Lomachenko, 35, meanwhile had won three consecutive fights en route to this clash.
Keen to prove he wasn’t a weak force against the bright young star in Haney, the Ukrainian impressed throughout the fight, consistently hitting back when his opponent tried to gain momentum.
The American – who was booed by the crowd – seemed much more aggressive than usual as he took on an increasingly open stance and tried to assert himself.
But Loma started fast, his traditional fast hands and great footwork showed as they kept going back and forth.
He then started to come alive towards the end of the fight, catching Haney several times in rounds 10 and 11 with a flurry of punches.
However, the defending champion gathered new reserves of energy and delivered in the final round when he hit Loma’s body several times.
At the final ring, both fighters celebrated in what was an extremely difficult fight to score, such was competitiveness, before the judges ruled in favor of Haney – much to the disgust of the pro-Lomachenko crowd.
After defending his world titles, Haney said: “Lomachenko is a future Hall of Famer and it was a blessing (to win). I want to thank Allah for this.
“I take my hat off to him, he’s been by far my toughest opponent and we’ve been fighting great for the fans. He is a crafty fighter and shows it in the championship rounds and I have to tip my hat to him.
“It’s all experience, my team will go back and think about this fight. We’ll go back and see what’s next.’
Haney also hinted that he might move up weight classes in the future. He continued, “This is my eighth title defense and there are a lot of great fighters again, so we can go to 135. This fight has put me in the history books forever.”
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