By: Sean Crose
More good news. Devin Haney is now officially set to defend his undisputed lightweight title against Vasyl Lomachenko on May 20 in Las Vegas. The match will be the main event of the highest ranked Pay-per-view Card. “This is a fight I’ve always wanted,” Haney said FightHype. “I called Loma when he looked invincible… I called him out then.” Haney added that his willingness to fight former star and heavyweight Lomachenko shows how ready he is to compete. “At this point in my career I don’t have to fight him and I choose to fight him,” he added. “What I say is true.”
Haney also made it clear that he’s willing to make sacrifices for the bigger games. “Everybody knows I have a hard time gaining weight,” he said. “For me, gaining weight is not the easiest thing. But I’m sacrificing myself to fight someone I’ve wanted to fight for a long time…I chose to stay in the weight class and fight him.” As for the future, Haney pointed out that he has yet to decide what will happen after Loma. After all, he cannot continue to lose weight forever.
He said of his post-Loma career: “It’s definitely working out. “I haven’t made my decision yet.” He has the right not to jump guns because his battle with Loma is still two months away. Plus, Haney feels like he’s only improved as time goes on. “Every camp, I feel stronger and stronger,” he said. “My body is maturing. I am getting bigger. I am becoming stronger. I’m getting old.” For Haney, that’s bad news for Lomachenko.
“Every camp gets better and better,” he declared. “That’s why I said a long time ago that Loma needs to fight me now because things will only get worse (for him).” Without a doubt, Haney is taking on a real challenge in Lomachenko. The Ukrainian may not be in his prime, but he may not really be on the hill either. However, Haney points out that boxing is more to him than just making a good living – which he certainly does. “Money doesn’t make me,” he said. “This is really something I love to do…I did it for free when I was young.” Haney claims that, in the end, what he does has a higher purpose than just earning a payday.
“It’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about legacy to me.”
