San Francisco’s undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney makes the second defense of his title against Ukraine’s two-time Olympic gold medalist and former three-weight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday, May 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Ahead of their 12-round championship bout live on ESPN+ PPV, the fighters hosted a kickoff press conference in Los Angeles, where they previewed their upcoming bout and came face to face for the first time.
Undefeated Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) is coming off the win by unanimous decision in the championship rematch against George Kambosos Jr in Melbourne last October, after claiming the crown by UD in their first fight in June the same year back in Australia. Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) was in action in October 2022 in New York, where he scored a unanimous decision against Jamaine Ortiz and secured his third win in a row, since losing his unified lightweight belts to Teofimo Lopez in 2020.
Here is what Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko as well as Top Rank chairman Bob Arum had to say:
Bob Arum
“I’ve seen hundreds of great matches over the years. But when I see a match like this, it stirs my blood because it is such an interesting fight to watch. Anyone who considers themself even remotely a boxing fan has to be attracted to this fight. It has all the elements of the great fights of the past. These are two top fighters who have all the skills and determination to make it a great battle. Saturday night on May 20 at the MGM Grand, I’m looking forward to one of the historic fights in the sport of boxing.”
Devin Haney
“I’m blessed to be here. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve been wanting this fight since 2019. I’ve been begging for it and calling for it. The time has finally come. The tables have turned this time around. When he had the belts, he didn’t want to fight me. But it’s a fight where I truly believe I am the better fighter. I’m the better competitor. I will be victorious. I’m happy that the time has finally come.”
“This is a legacy fight for me. Loma at one time was No.1 pound-for-pound. A few months ago, he was higher than me on the pound-for-pound list. Now that the fight has been made, he has dropped off the pound-for-pound list. But it is what it is. We know what type of fighter he is. He deserves to be on the pound-for-pound list. Not above me, but definitely on the list. But this is a legacy fight. This is a real fight. This is not an influencer fight. This is really for the belts. This is for the gold. This is possibly to determine the best in the world as well.”
“The better the opposition, the better I am. Loma is a good fighter. But I’m on a totally different level. On fight night, the world will see that. The world will see how good Devin Haney really is.”
Vasiliy Lomachenko
“I’m excited for May 20. This is my second chance, and I will try my best. Thank you to Team Haney for the opportunity. We are all prepared for this.”
“You can’t think about your future when there’s a war coming to your house. You just think about life and about your family and about the people around you. You think about how you can live another day. You can’t think about your job. You can’t think about a professional sport.”
“We never know what will happen. We can prepare for one strategy, but in the ring it can all change. Right now, I don’t know. I just train hard and prepare. I believe in God and in my team.”
In Australia, Haney vs Lomachenko airs live on Sunday, May 21.
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