The showdown between undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney and veteran Vasyl Lomachenko became official on Tuesday. The company announced that the American champion will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA), IBF, WBO and WBC crowns against the Ukrainian on May 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Haney is coming off two consecutive victories over George Kambosos to confirm his status as the undisputed champion and the current big man in the lightweight division. The 24-year-old is the youngest fighter in history to win all four crowns in one division.
With great speed and impressive arm reach, he is a stylist who knows how to walk the ring and counter-attack with great precision, which is why he usually takes a big advantage on the scorecards during his fights.
Lomachenko, on the other hand, got the title shot he had been looking for. After being world champion for several fights, he lost the belts to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020. Since then, the Ukrainian has worked hard and has won three consecutive fights against Masayoshi Nakatani, Richard Commey and Jermaine Ortiz.
A southpaw guard, with excellent lateral movement and incredible punch placement, the European is coming to try and regain what he feels belongs to him. He must prove that his skills are still intact at 35 years of age and facing an opponent 11 years younger, which will be quite a challenge for his career.
Haney is undefeated in 29 fights, while Lomachenko has 17 wins on his record and just 2 losses.