Devin Haney's victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko in May 2023 sparked debate and left the champion questioning his own performance. The fight, which saw Haney defend his undisputed lightweight world titles, ended in a unanimous decision with scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
The clash between these two elite fighters was a close affair. Haney impressed with his jab and smart body work, while Lomachenko showed off his speed and sneaky power, coming on strong in the later rounds.
Despite the official result, public opinion was split. Some fans called it a robbery, and even Lomachenko's promoter, Bob Arum, told his fighter he thought he deserved the win.
This reaction affected Haney. In an interview with All The Smoke Fight, he admitted:
"After the fight I felt like I won, then people are trying to bang it in your head the you lost, you lose, robbery, robbery… So I didn't want to watch the fight for a long time. It was a fight that I just didn't feel like comfortable watching it."
When Haney finally watched the fight, his confidence returned:
"I finally watched it, I'm like I won this fight! I know I won this fight. There was times I got touched that I didn't like, then it turned into my favourite fight. That's my favourite fight of mine."
After the Lomachenko bout, Haney moved up to super-lightweight, vacating his undisputed lightweight status. He won the WBC belt at 140 pounds by beating Regis Prograis.
His next fight against Ryan Garcia ended in controversy. Garcia came in overweight and was ineligible for the belt. Haney lost on points after being dropped three times. Later, it came to light that Garcia had tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine twice. The result was overturned to a no contest, and Garcia got banned for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission.
Haney's next move isn't set in stone yet, but he's looking to get back in the ring soon. The young champion's career continues to be filled with twists and turns, keeping boxing fans on the edge of their seats.
