Clearing the Way for Lomachenko vs. Haney

With the exhausting victory over Jamaine Ortíz last Saturday in New York, Ukrainian southpaw Vasiliy Lomachenko cleared a path to face the undisputed 135-pound champion, Devin Haney.

But to achieve that victory, Lomachenko (17-2-0, 11 KOs) had to summon all his skills and experience in the ring. Ortíz (16-1-1, 8 KOs), thanks to his greater height and reach, as well as his speed, was an elusive opponent, especially in the first half of the fight.

The bout took place in front of nearly five thousand spectators at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden. Thirty-four-year-old Lomachenko needed several rounds to feel Ortiz out, to find the gaps in his defense and to apply his tactical fight plan. Despite Ortiz’s loss, he did showcase his boxing skills and speed which will provide him the opportunity to face other elite opponents.

Although Lomachenko won by unanimous decision, the judge’s scorecards may have been less than accurate. John McKaie was the fairest with a score of 115-113. Mark Consentino (116-112) awarded eight rounds to the former world champion, while Frank Lombardi saw the fight a disproportionate 117-111.

At the end of the fight, Lomachenko confirmed his desire to fight Haney (29-0-0, 15 KOs), with the opportunity of becoming the undisputed 135-pound champion. “I’m happy, I’m happy to be back in the ring and make this great show,” Lomachenko said. “He is a tough fighter; he is a good fighter. Thank you to my fans for the support. Do you know what motivated me? Four belts! Look, I’m ready, I told you before I’m ready for any option.”

Haney was there in the ring and commented on the fight that had just ended. “I think it wasn’t the best performance, but I know if me and Loma were to fight, we’d see a better version [of him]. Congratulations and hopefully we can get it on.” Lomachenko responded by saying: “I will be ready.”

Last April, instead of fighting Australian George Kambosos Jr. who held four belts at 135 pounds, Lomachenko returned to Ukraine to defend his country. His place was taken by twenty-three-year-old Haney, who with indisputable mastery prevailed over Kambosos Jr by unanimous decision in front of more than forty thousand enthusiastic fans at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. On October 16^th , again in Melbourne, Haney confirmed his status as the king of the lightweight division when he beat George Kambosos Jr for the second time to retain his undisputed world titles.

BOB ARUM GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO HANEY-LOMACHENKO

Also present at the Lomachenko-Ortiz fight, Bob Arum, founder and CEO of Top Rank, expressed his support for the match between Haney and Lomachenko to take place in early 2023. “The fight to make in the lightweight division is Haney versus Lomachenko, and we will do everything we can to make the undisputed championship showdown that all fight fans want to see. They are the world’s premier lightweights and it would be a fantastic battle.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

Article submitted by Jorge Juan Alvarez in Spanish.

Please note any adjustments made were for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.

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