‘This will put me in the history books FOREVER’: Devin Haney expresses delight after defending his undisputed lightweight titles against Vasyl Lomachenko despite controversial decision…as the Ukrainian admits he ‘thought rival would be better’
- Haney was the beneficiary of a controversial decision in Las Vega on Saturday
- He claimed victory over Lomachenko via a highly contested unanimous decision
- But the American fighter was over the moon after retaining his undisputed crown
Devin Haney believes his controversial victory over Vasyl Lomachenko will ‘put him in the history books forever’ after successfully defending his undisputed lightweight crown for a second time.
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 undefeated lightweight champion and double Olympian king Lomachenko was by far the toughest opponent for the undefeated Haney, who had won all 29 of his previous fights.
As the final bell rang it was still uncertain who would emerge victorious from their epic clash as both fighters celebrated in their corners before the judges ruled in favor of the American with scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
After the win, Haney greeted his opponent before expressing his delight with his second defense of all four recognized belts at 135 pounds.
Devin Haney claimed his victory over Vasyl Lomachenko ‘puts him in the history books forever’
He successfully defended his undisputed world lightweight titles against Lomachenko
Lomachenko is a future Hall of Famer and it was a blessing (to win). I want to thank Allah for this,” he said in the ring after the fight.
“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 puts it up in the championship rounds and I have to tip my hat to him.
“This fight will put me in the history books forever.”
Haney then hinted that he could move up a weight class if asked about his future plans.
He added: “It’s all experience, my team will go back and think about this fight. We’ll go back and see what’s next.
“I have been at 135 (lbs) for a long time. This was my 30th fight, I’ve been here at 135 since I was 16 years old. We need to get back to the lab and figure out what’s next.
In an intriguing showdown, both fighters showed great as they threw punches all the way through
Haney also hinted that his plans could be to move up a weight class as he looks to the future
“It’s always been hard for me to make the weight and I’ve accomplished everything at 135. I just beat a future Hall of Famer. This is my eighth title defense so we have yet to see.
“There are still a lot of great fighters in the 135-pound division, so we’ll see. If it makes sense, we’re at 135.
“We have to see it and go back to the drawing board. We have fighters like Shakur (Stevenson), we have fighters like Gervonta (Davis). The list goes on and on.’
Meanwhile, a devastated Lomachenko – who burst into tears after his loss – declined to comment on the decision to give Haney the win, instead expressing pride in his own performance.
He said, ‘First of all thank you to God and also thank you to my team and you (in the audience).
‘Thank you. I don’t want to talk about it (the result) all people can see what happened today.
Lomachenko was devastated after the result, with many believing he should have won the fight
He hit several hard punches on Haney and explained that he ‘thought he would be better’
“I think I’ve shown that I can box and I’m in good shape. I can’t talk about the result now, it’s just not a pleasant moment for me at the moment, but thank you to everyone who came.’
He also questioned Haney’s abilities, despite the American extending his career record to 30-0 (15 KOs)
He added: “Everything was in the rules. I thought he (Haney) would be better, but he’s a tough fighter, but he’s not the pound-for-pound fighter.
“Right now I want to go home and support my country and my Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”