Boxing champions Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko faced off earlier tonight (Sat. May 20, 2023) in an undisputed Lightweight championship fight from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After 12 highly competitive rounds, Devin Haney left the ring as the undisputed Lightweight champion
Right away, Haney’s size advantage was clear. He pressed forward and worked his lead hand, sticking a jab then digging his right to the body. Lomachenko put together a three-punch combo and scored with a left. “Loma” was active early and firing when able to get inside, but Haney’s tight guard kept him safe.
Haney fought well in the second. He established the jab and then found an opening, sneaking his right hand under the elbow several times. He also scored a good counter right. Lomachenko did answer with a couple left hands, but Haney scored the better shots.
Lomachenko answered back in the third with more pressure. He was able to get into his range on a couple occasions, and he didn’t hesitate to throw punches in bunches. On one such occasion, he connected with a clean left uppercut, perhaps his best shot of the fight through nine highly competitive minutes.
Back and forth the two went, as Haney responded strongly in the fourth. Working from his back foot, Haney found several counter right hands and continued to work the body. Lomachenko did land a couple snapping jabs, but overall, he had difficulty finding the younger man.
Body work continued to be a major source of success for Haney in the fifth and sixth rounds. Lomachenko was still moving well, but he was feeling the right hands to the ribs. They were the heaviest connections on either side, and Haney complicated the matter further by mixing in his left hook to the body and sneaking uppercuts through the middle. “Loma” made a couple combinations happen, but Haney was the more accurate boxer through the midway point of the bout.
The action heated up a bit in the seventh. Lomachenko started to find more success with his double left hand, and on occasion, he stuck hard jabs. His speed managed to surprise Haney even this deep into the fight. At the same time, Haney’s right hand to the body was such a game changer. It was his most accurate weapon, and it helped mitigate a lot of Lomachenko’s footwork and angles.
By the ninth, Lomachenko’s lead left hand was becoming an increasingly effective weapon. Haney seemed to be slowing just a touch, which allowed “Loma” to close distance and land with his back hand. This resulted in Lomachenko’s best moment yet in the tenth, as he stunned Haney and put together a lengthy combination afterward.
That momentum carried into the 11th. Lomachenko really put it on the younger man, ripping some hard right hooks upstairs. After landing, Lomachenko unleashed several multi-punch combinations, backing his opponent up and hitting the body well in the process.
Haney woke back up in the final round. He stopped allowing Lomachenko to bully him, returning to the body work that did so much damage in the first half of the fight. His defense was also sharper, as Lomachenko’s lancing straight punches didn’t find a home nearly as often. It wasn’t a clear round for either man, which was an improvement from Haney considering the 10th and 11th.
It all made for a tremendously close fight. The arena tensely waited for the judges’ decision, and Haney was named the victor.
Do you agree?
Result: Devin Haney defeats Vasily Lomachenko via unanimous decision
For complete Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko results and play-by-play, click HERE!
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
