Loma Not Predicting Win: Haney Fight Will Be ‘Very Interesting’

One undisputed title, three days away. Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) is set to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against the three-division world champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) from Ukraine this Saturday, May 20, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

One got the sense both warriors are fairly chill about the prospect of fighting.

One, Haney, gives off an air that is appropriate: he is a superb technician, and not even at peak of his athleticism.

The other knows he got touched by Jamaine Ortiz a fair bit in his last fight. Also, he knows how many candles went on his last cake. 

Here is material from a Top Rank press release:

Haney vs. Loma will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Cost is $59.99 across all distributors, show will also will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.

Devin Haney looks like he will be too big for Loma, maybe, on Saturday. (Mikey Williams photo)

PPV Support For Haney v Loma

The PPV undercard features a 10-round junior lightweight co-feature between two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) and Adam “BluNose” Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) in a rematch of their 2019 battle.

In the PPV opener, rising lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (17-0, 14 KOs) will take on big-punching Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-round clash.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Devin Haney Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, tickets are on sale now at axs.com.

Quotes From Wednesday Press Conference

At Wednesday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say:

Devin Haney

Father/trainer Bill Haney seems quite relaxed and confident his son will triumph on May 20 (Mikey Williams photo)

“I feel like Loma should have fought me four years ago. But now the time has come. It’s going to be worse for him than it would have been had we fought back then.”

“On paper, this is my toughest test. But I look to make it an easy night. I look to make it as easy as possible and come out victorious.”

“I have been calling for this fight for four years. But the time has finally come. I take my hat off to Loma. I respect everything that he’s done. I respect his decision to stay and defend his country. That gave me my shot to go to Australia, so it was only right that I give him the shot as well.”

“I know what he is preparing for. But at the end of the day, we’re prepared for whatever he brings to the table. If he wants to make it a dirty fight, we have answers for that.”

Vasiliy Lomachenko

Loma has done a version of this a lot. No, he’s not tight about the challenge. (Mikey Williams photo)

“Camp was hard like always. But I was very motivating. It was motivating because I understand. It is my last chance to become undisputed. So, I pushed myself in every training session. And now there are just four days left.”

“He talks about the past, but it’s hard to say things about the past. You can’t change it. Even if you talk about it, you can’t change it. Only God can change it.”

“He is a high-level boxer,” said Loma. “He understands boxing. He knows what he needs to do. He can use his reach. He can use his feet. He can create distance. But I have a lot of experience in this sport. It will be very interesting for me.”

Click here to read and learn about Loma’s top 3 fights to this point