By: Sean Crose
Make no mistake about it – this Saturday’s undisputed lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko will represent a moment of truth for every boxer. For Lomachenko, the outcome of this weekend’s game will determine the rest of his career. If he loses, Lomachenko, once considered the best heavyweight boxer in the world, will be seen as a man who has truly come and gone. If Haney loses, he will be seen as the man sent back to earth by an old great man, a warrior not quite as good as he was made to be.
Lomachenko 17-2 is now 35 years old. He has been considered the greatest boxer to ever compete in the amateur class. In the early stages of his professional career, Lomachenko was even considered to be on his way to becoming the greatest professional boxer in history. That might have been part of the HBO hype machine, as HBO was broadcasting Lomachenko’s fights at the time. However, this man is still extremely impressive in the ring, arbitrarily turning opponents and causing many of them to give up on the stools consecutively. Then came Teofimo Lopez.
Unlike many of Lomachenko’s previous in-ring enemies, Lopez was not impressed or intimidated by the lauded Ukrainian. And indeed, he fought fit, using his height to keep from turning, and refusing to let Lomachenko win the twelfth and final round. After the referee’s cards were read, Lomachenko was demoted, and his WBA and WBO belts are now owned by Lopez. Lomachenko has won three games in a row since then but he has yet to get a chance to regain his former glory.
Until now.
Unlike Lomachenko, Haney 29-0, at the age of 24, is still a young man. In fact, he’s about 11 years younger than Lomachenko – all his life in the fighting game. Like Lomachenko, Haney has beaten a lot of talented opponents. Jorge Linares, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Joseph Diaz have all fallen victim to the Las Vegas-born boxer’s incredibly versatile skill set. Haney may not have superhuman knockdown power – but frankly, he doesn’t need it. Because Haney has mastered the number one rule of boxing: hit, not get hit. If he beats Lomachenko when they meet in Vegas this weekend, Haney will erase any lingering questions about whether he’s as good as advertised.
Unfortunately, the Haney-Lomachenko fight will be broadcast on Pay Per View. Such a fight, so interesting and relevant, simply does not warrant a raid on viewers’ wallets. The buying rate will most likely be quite low. This match is more likely to be a chess match than a brawl. In fact, Haney-Lomachenko is a fight for those who appreciate craft. We who appreciate it have reason to expect it.
