Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko: Final Presser Comments
Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney and challenger/former unified 135 lb. title holder Vasiliy Lomachenko met with the media for the final time before their Saturday 12 round PPV main event.
And, one thing remains constant- both fighters realize the magnitude of what’s at stake for each of them.
THE MAIN EVENT TAKES THE STAGE https://t.co/lpFnWXPhp4
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 17, 2023
From the Top Rank recap of the presser:
“Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) is set to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against Ukraine’s three-division world champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) this Saturday, May 20, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The PPV undercard features a 10-round junior lightweight co-feature between two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) and Adam “BluNose” Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) in a rematch of their 2019 battle.
At Wednesday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say:
Devin Haney
“I feel like he should have fought me four years ago. But now the time has come. It’s going to be worse for him than it would have been had we fought back then.”
“On paper, this is my toughest test. But I look to make it an easy night. I look to make it as easy as possible and come out victorious.”
“I have been calling for this fight for four years. But the time has finally come. I take my hat off to him. I respect everything that he’s done. I respect his decision to stay and defend his country. That gave me my shot to go to Australia, so it was only right that I give him the shot as well.”
“I know what he is preparing for. But at the end of the day, we’re prepared for whatever he brings to the table. If he wants to make it a dirty fight, we have answers for that.”
Vasiliy Lomachenko
“Camp was hard like always. But I was very motivating. It was motivating because I understand. It is my last chance to become undisputed. So, I pushed myself in every training session. And now there are just four days left.”
“He talks about the past, but It’s hard to say things about the past. You can’t change it. Even if you talk about it, you can’t change it. Only God can change it.”
“He is a high-level boxer. He understands boxing. He knows what he needs to do. He can use his reach. He can use his feet. He can create distance. But I have a lot of experience in this sport. It will be very interesting for me.”
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The unbeaten Haney is off his two impressive decision wins over George Kambosos both in Australia last year that put him in position for the most important and most lucrative moment of his career. Meanwhile, the three division world champ Lomachenko wants to get back all three of the belts that he lost to Teofimo Lopez two and half years ago and add one more to them, Haney’s WBC crown. He’s won three bouts since the Lopez loss.
Haney vs. Lomachenko will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, the event’s exclusive digital distributor in the United States, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
