High Level Chess : Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko

Boxing fans looking for high-level action could hardly ask for anything better than the fight Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko delivered on Saturday night in Las Vegas. After 12 rounds of close action, it was Haney who emerged with a mildly controversial unanimous decision, maintaining his status as the undisputed lightweight champion. The fight saw constant momentum swings, with Haney getting off to a strong start, especially showing a dedication to working punches to Lomachenko’s body, especially with his right hand. Despite being known as a jab-focused fighter, Haney relied very little on his most famous tool against his toughest opponent to date. Lomachenko also shed his reputation as a slow starter, going hard from the opening round, even if Haney got off to the better start of the two. He also did not allow Haney to control the fight through size and strength, often being the man controlling position in the clinch and constantly walking Haney down. The most dominant rounds in the fight were Round 10 and 11, where Lomachenko picked up the pace and stung Haney repeatedly. While Lomachenko appeared to have taken full control of the fight against a fatigued Haney, it was Haney who delivered in Round 12, doing enough to take the fight on all three official scorecards. The vast majority of the rounds were very close and hard to call, leaving plenty of mystery as to who would have their hand raised as the official scorecards were read. Haney’s performance in Round 12 turned out to be critical as his sweep of the round prevented the fight from being scored a majority draw. In the end, it was the work of Haney that was most appreciated by the trio of ringside judges as he won all three scorecards by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. After the fight, Haney suggested that his time at lightweight could be coming to a close. “Man, Lomachenko is a future Hall of Famer. It was a blessing,“ Haney said of sharing the ring with his opponent. “I take my hat off to Loma. He’s my toughest opponent by far. He’s very crafty and we put on a great fight for the fans. ... He’s a crafty fighter. He turns it up in the championship rounds. I just gotta take my hat off, he’s a great fighter,“ he added. “It’s all experience. We’re going to go back, watch the fight, and reflect on it. I’ve been at 135 a long, long time. I’ve been at 135 since I was 16 years old. We’re gonna go back to the lab and figure out what’s next.“ Lomachenko refused to address the controversy in the scoring after the fight, instead focusing on getting back to work. “I don’t want to talk about this,“ Lomachenko said. “All the people saw what happened today. ... Look, I think I showed I’m in good shape. See you next time. I can’t talk about this right now. It’s just, it’s not a comfortable moment for me.“ Haney’s father and trainer, Bill, was quick to shoot down talk of a rematch when interviewed backstage after the fight, claiming the fight was “not close“ despite the majority consensus among fans and media suggested sentiment that Lomachenko deserved to win. One man who does want Haney next should a Lomachenko rematch not materialize is top lightweight contender Shakur Stevenson. Stevenson claimed the Haneys ran from the ring and said that Lomachenko deserved the win. He then made the expected callout for the next shot at Haney’s undisputed status. “Let’s make it happen, I think that should happen next,“ Stevenson said of wanting to fight Haney. “Devin’s not on my level and I’m going to show it.“