Have Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko agreed to a fight date?
The American will put his undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO lightweight world titles on the line in one of the most anticipated clashes of recent years.
One of the most anticipated clashes of recent years now has a date. Devin Haney (29-0-0, 15 KO) will put all four of his unified lightweight belts on the line against Vasyl Lomachenko (17-2-0, 11 KO) on May 20. The venue has yet to be determined, with Bob Arum suggesting that it could just as likely be in the Middle East as the US. Arum stresses, however, that the fight is a done deal, and that “in about 10 days they will have the headquarters ready.”
Devin Haney is coming off a double win over George Kambosos Jr. (20-2-0, 10 KOs) in 2022. In their first meeting in Melbourne, Haney stripped the Australian’s titles to become the undisputed lightweight champion. Kambosos immediately invoked his rematch clause, and the two warriors met again in October, where the result was the same, with Haney getting the unanimous decision victory.
Vasyl Lomachenko returned to the ring in October after a one-year hiatus. When Russia invaded the Ukraine, the former unified and lineal, three-weight world champion decided to return home to offer his help in the fight to liberate his country. Upon his return, Loma defeated American Jamaine Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision in New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he staved off a game opponent in what turned out to be a close fight.
Now it seems that the moment has arrived for the Haney Lomachenko showdown. Bob Arum assures us that “the fight has already been agreed”, and all that remains is to find out where this battle will take place.
“We’re looking for the site and the date and that’ll be announced shortly,” Arum told Sky Sports. “I had lunch with Bill Haney, Devin’s father and Devin joined us and they’re all ready. They’re lovely people. That fight will happen either before or right after Ramadan. Because Devin is a religious Muslim and so we can’t do it during Ramadan but we could do it before or after. So I discussed all of that with the Haneys. But they’re on board for the fight.”
“New York may be an option, but the thing is where. At Madison Square Garden, but there will be playoff games in the NBA and NHL. Other options could be Las Vegas or even in the Middle East, where they have been paying well for fights like this,” explained the promoter to Boxingscene.
On the other side of that ring stands Lomachenko, and if he is able to dethrone Haney, he will become a lineal unified champion. Again.