Two-weight world champion and undisputed lightweight ruler Devin Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) has revealed exactly who the toughest opponent he has ever faced is… and it’s not Ryan Garcia.
Haney has fought the likes of Zaur Abdullaev, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz Jr, George Kambosos Jr, Regis Prograis, Ryan Garcia – who dropped Haney twice – and Jose Ramirez, but when asked who the best boxer he has ever shared the ring with is, he didn’t hesitate to name them in an instant.
Haney revealed, “Loma. He’s definitely a Hall of Famer. He had a lot of tools and a lot of experience, and it made me a better fighter.”
26-years-old from California, Haney became undisputed at lightweight in 2022 by defeating George Kambosos Jr in Australia. He defended his hoard again that same year back in Oz against the same man, resulting in the same unanimous decision verdict.
It was his next defence in May 2023 when he met Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and it didn’t go quite as he expected despite getting his hand raised.
Lomachenko landed 124 punches on Haney, who only managed 110 back. However, Haney was awarded a unanimous decision victory, a result which many disagreed with.
The CompuBox stats showed that Loma and Haney both outlanded each other in five rounds each, with the remaining two rounds completely even, meaning that a draw could have been the fairest result.
Instead, two ringside judges gave it 115-113 to Devin “The Dream” and the third gave an even wider score of 116-112.
The Ukrainian is widely considered as one of the greatest boxers of modern times, after building an amateur record of 396-1, and winning gold at two Olympic Games and two World Championships.
As a professional, the southpaw stylist tied the record for winning a world title in the fewest fights in just his third bout.
His style has been described as “The Matrix” for his ability to always be two moves ahead of his opponents.
He has won world titles at featherweight, super, featherweight, lightweight; becoming the quickest boxer to be crowned a three-weight world champion in history.
He was awarded Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year and the Sugar Ray Robinson Award in 2017.
Now aged 37, it’s unclear if Vasiliy Lomachenko plans to fight again, having not been in the ring since his 18th pro win over George Kambosos Jr. in Perth in May 2024. Loma stopped the Aussie in round 11, something Haney was unable to do twice.
Also known as “Hi-Tech”, Loma hasn’t officially announced his retirement, as he clearly wishes to leave the door open for now.
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