By: Sean Crose
This one is for the purists. If you appreciate the subtle nuances of professional boxing, Saturday’s undisputed lightweight title fight between defending champion Devin Haney and former world champion Vasyl Lomachenko is on the way. with you. Neither of these men can be called knockout artists, but their style in the ring is no less brilliant. Haney is naturally younger and older than Lomachenko, which understandably makes him the most popular modesty to come in. However, there is nothing to eliminate Lomachenko. The man has looked too good in the ring too many times.
So who wins the chess match on Saturday? Let’s start with the challenger. Lomachenko is not just a former champion. He’s been high – very high – on the pound list for a while. It is even said that he may be the greatest ever. That proved to be an exaggeration, but Lomachenko was undeniably overwhelming from one opponent to another. Certainly, the praised Ukrainian player has caused many opponents to give up. He also regularly faces top competitors and has only lost twice – both times by a very small margin.
As for Haney, the 24-year-old has incredible footwork and can maintain range better than anyone. He had never fought anyone of Lomachenko’s caliber, but Haney was proven to be successful in battle after battle. He also faces some high-profile competition in his own right. George Kambosos, Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz and Yuriorkis Gamboa all took L from Haney. And none of them are lazy.
So how will this Saturday’s game go? Honestly, I have no idea. Both of these people are too good for me to confidently choose one over the other. With that said, I think Haney has a better chance of winning than the two. His youth, size and overall ability to keep his distance would make Lomachenko a good fit. However, Lomachenko achieved his outstanding reputation. If anyone can catch Haney, it’s him. And if he can get inside with any regularity, all bets are void. Bottom line: if Haney can keep Loma from him, he wins.
A quick prediction: Lomachenko will fall. Does that mean I think Haney will win by knockout? Are not. I saw Lomachenko deftly beat the count. However, I do see one of those particular body punches that Haney sometimes throws to catch the shorter man off guard. And that can make a big difference on the cards when you’re talking about a melee fight, as this weekend could be.
