Devin Haney clashes with Vasyl Lomachenko in Las Vegas tonight, with the undisputed lightweight titles on the line in another massive fight.
Arguably boxing’s most-stacked men’s division treats us to what should be an explosive showdown Stateside, with major ramifications for the landscape at 135lbs.
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Haney has the full set of lightweight titles after two successful trips to Australia last year, beating George Kambosos Jr on points on both occasions to add the WBA, IBF and WBO belts to the WBC strap he has held since 2019.
There has been talk of a potential bout with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis later this year should the unbeaten Haney extend his professional record to 30-0, or a future showdown with Shakur Stevenson, but there will surely be no looking past Lomachenko, who just a few years ago was widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
The 35-year-old has three wins since that defeat by Lopez, most recently a points victory over Jamaine Ortiz in October last year, with that coming after Lomachenko turned down a world title shot at Kambosos Jr to stay in Ukraine and join a territorial defence battalion following Russia’s invasion.
“I want to beat him bad. I want to send him into retirement,” Haney has said in the build-up to this bout, possibly his last before making the move to super-lightweight. “Lomachenko has never been an underdog, this is the first time. This time he’s fighting a bigger guy, a strong guy, faster guy, younger guy.”
Tensions ramped up a notch further at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in, with the irate Haney shoving a smiling Lomachenko during an intense last face-off.
Haney vs Lomachenko date, start time, venue and ring walks
Haney vs Lomachenko takes place tonight, Saturday May 20, 2023 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main undercard is not due to start until around 1am BST on Sunday for fight fans in the UK, with ring walks for the main event itself expected at around 4am BST. As ever though, those timings are subject to change.
Haney vs Lomachenko fight card/undercard in full
On Saturday’s undercard, Australia’s Andrew Moloney and Junto Nakatani of Japan compete for the vacant WBO super-flyweight title.
There’s plenty more action to look forward to, including Oscar Valdez returning for the first time since his defeat by Shakur Stevenson as he battles Adam Lopez.
The main card opens with exciting lightweight prospect Raymond Muratalla, who got up off the canvas to beat Humberto Galindo just seven weeks ago. He meets a dangerous opponent in Jeremia Nakathila, the Namibian who dominated former super-featherweight world champion Miguel Berchelt in his last fight in March 2022.
Devin Haney vs Vasyl Lomachenko
Juno Nakatani vs Andrew Moloney
Raymond Muratalla vs Jeremia Nakathila
Oscar Valdez vs Adam Lopez
Floyd Diaz vs Luis Fernando Saavedra
Nico Ali Walsh vs Danny Rosenberger
Abdullah Mason vs Desmond Lyons
Amari Jones vs Pachino Hill
Emiliano Vargas vs Rafael Jasso
How to watch Haney vs Lomachenko
TV channel: The fight will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action in the UK, with coverage getting underway at 1am BST in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Live stream: The Sky Go app will allow subscribers to watch online via a live stream.
LIVE coverage: You can also follow the entire event overnight with Standard Sport’s dedicated live fight blog.
Haney vs Lomachenko prediction
Haney unsurprisingly goes into this fight as the betting favourite, with his rematch victory over Kambosos Jr another 12-round masterclass as he cruised to a wide points victory. And everything points to another long night on Saturday.
The American’s last six wins have all come on points, with Haney so often able to control fights with his jab. He is likely to try and fight at range against Lomachenko, racking up the rounds without too many risks.
Haney also has a size advantage, a factor that has proved problematic for Lomachenko in the past. He was the smaller fighter against Lopez when losing his WBA and WBO belts, and size remains an issue when he comes up against the best in the 135lbs division.
He will have to take risks in taking the fight to Haney and it promises to be a brilliant bout from a technical perspective, but Lomachenko will likely come up short in his bid to seize the undisputed crown.
Haney to win, via unanimous decision.
Haney vs Lomachenko weigh-in results
Lomachenko tipped the scales at 135lbs during Friday’s weigh-in, while Haney came in at 134.9lbs.
It was certainly a surprise to see the smaller challenger as the heavier man initially, but Haney is expected to weigh a lot more on fight night.
“Plot twist.. he was heavier then me,” Haney tweeted.
Haney vs Lomachenko betting odds
Haney to win: 4/11
Lomachenko to win: 21/10
Draw: 16/1
Haney to win by KO/TKO: 8/1
Lomachenko to win by KO/TKO: 15/2
Haney to win by points or decision: 4/7
Lomachenko to win by points or decision: 7/2
