This Saturday night sees a mega clash in the lightweight division as unified 135-pound champion Devin Haney defends his belt against former WBA, WBC and WBO lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
It's a fight that's been four years in the making as the wheels were first in motion when Haney won the interim WBC title in 2019 only for then WBC title holder Lomachenko to be promoted to franchise champion. Haney subsequently was promoted to WBC champion while the Ukrainian would end up losing his other belts to Teofimo Lopez a year later.
However, better late than never, as boxing fans will now get to see a fight between two of the most talented boxers in the world today. For Haney, he'll be facing arguably his toughest task yet in Lomachenko. Meanwhile for Lomachenko, this is uncharted territory as he is a betting underdog for a change.
But are most boxers agreeing with oddsmakers and siding with the younger and bigger Haney or are they going with the more experienced Lomachenko for the upset? Here’s a look at some of the most prominent boxers and who they’re predicting to win between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Which fighters are predicting Devin Haney to win?
Many fighters are picking Haney to defend his title, including a certain Jorge Linares who faced and suffered defeats to both the American and Lomachenko.
Former WBA and WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares
“Lomachenko is Lomachenko but he’s not the same. I respect both. I’m very good friends with both Lomachenko and Haney too. If that fight happens, it’s 60/40. For me, Haney has the best time right now. He’s quick, he’s fast, he has power. He moves so well in the ring.”
“For me, this time it’ll be [Devin] Haney,” Linares said when asked about his prediction following Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia last month. “By decision. I think so.”
Unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez:
“It’s a nice fight, I like it. I think both are good fighters, but Devin Haney right now is the favorite.”
Former featherweight and super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson:
“I think Devin is too big for Lomachenko, I think he’s going to smoke him. I’m ready to fight whoever wins.”
Former light welterweight and welterweight champion Danny Garcia:
“I think that's a good fight. If I were to pick somebody, I'd pick Haney because I think he's got a good jab, younger, stronger. But Lomachenko, he gonna bring it so I think it's going to be a close fight. I can see Loma winning too but I'll give the edge to the younger fighter.”
Which fighters are predicting Vasiliy Lomachenko to win?
While the majority of fighters are picking Haney, but are a few who believe Lomachenko will come out on top. In fact, his biggest supporter is one of just two fighters to have defeated Lomachenko…and that's Teofimo Lopez.
Former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez:
“Nobody beats Lomachenko – nobody. I’ve been in the ring with the man, he’s smart, he has so many different tactics that I never even thought of being possible. This guy has dirty tactics, he has clean tactics, and overall has the experience. I don’t think any of them are ready for that.”
That's not all Lopez feels.
“I think I got Lomachenko winning this fight. The only reason why I say it is just the punch IQ that this man throws and what he does. He’ll get you tired.
“Even though Devin has the conditioning for it, you gotta commit. You can’t just, you can’t play defense with Loma. You can’t play defense with Loma. You can’t. You gotta attack [by] all means necessary, and I don’t think Devin got that dog in him to do it. I just don’t think – even though Devin has a good jab, he’s too scared to commit all the way with it.
“The size difference is not gonna matter. Loma’s fought bigger guys than that. I mean, think about it – the Olympics, two-time Olympic gold medalist. He’s had 400-plus amateur fights. He’s been in the pro game, I mean, three-divisional champion, all those things. I mean, he’s fought tall, small, all the guys that you could think of.
Unbeaten welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr.
“I would favor Loma. He has a lot of experience. I don't know if Devin necessarily has the power to keep him off and I feel like Loma is just fundamentally better.”
Unbeaten heavyweight Antonio Zepeda
“I gotta go with Lomachenko. I think Lomachenko is the best in that division.”
Follow Us
Subscribe