The King’s Gambit: Undisputed Lightweight Champion Devin Haney to Defend Crown Against Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 29 Mar 2023
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas LIVE on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV
Haney-Lomachenko & PPV undercard fights will be broadcast live starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31 and will be available to purchase at axs.com
LAS VEGAS (March 28, 2023) — Two of boxing’s pound-for-pound best will battle for lightweight supremacy as Devin “The Dream” Haney defends his undisputed crown against Ukraine’s three-division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on Saturday, May 20, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Haney vs. Lomachenko will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, the exclusive digital distributor for the event in the United States, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The PPV will be priced at $59.99 and additionally be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Devin Haney Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, tickets starting at $104, plus applicable service charges, go on sale Friday, March 31 at 10 a.m. PT and will be available to purchase at axs.com.
“Devin Haney is the sport’s brightest young superstar, and he’s taking on a tremendous challenge against one of this generation’s best pound-for-pound fighters in Vasiliy Lomachenko. This is what boxing is all about,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Devin and Loma are sensational boxers, and I’m sure it will be a memorable fight."
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) will fight in the U.S. for the first time since defeating George Kambosos Jr. in Australia twice last year to capture and retain the undisputed championship. The 24-year-old has been on a unique path since turning pro in Mexico in 2015 when he was 17. He made his stateside debut on the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley III undercard at MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2016. Following a fourth-round stoppage over then-undefeated Zaur Abdullaev, Haney was awarded the WBC lightweight world championship. He defended that strap against unbeaten contender Alfredo Santiago and former world champions Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares and Joseph Diaz Jr. He became the undisputed king last June with a 12-round tour de force in Melbourne in front of more than 40,000 Kambosos supporters.
“Lomachenko is a good fighter and future Hall of Fame candidate,” Haney said. “I take nothing away from him or what he has done in the sport of boxing. Although he didn’t give me a shot when I challenged him in 2019, I won’t be petty. This is the fight the fans really want, and I made it happen. I’ve gotten two times better since the Kambosos rematch, and believe it or not, the better my opponent is, the better I perform. I can’t wait for this fight. I know Lomachenko has an extremely high boxing IQ, and I will show the world on May 20 that I’m the best fighter on the planet. I’m ready to defend my undisputed title in devastating fashion.”
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who compiled a staggering 396-1 record as an amateur before winning world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight. As a lightweight, he knocked out Jorge Linares to capture the WBA and Ring Magazine titles, won the WBO strap against Jose Pedraza, and added the vacant WBC title to his collection with a 12-round decision over Luke Campbell in London. The 35-year-old lost his belts in a close fight against Teofimo Lopez in October 2020 but regained his form with one-sided drubbings over Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey the following year. After a nearly 11-month layoff spent serving with a territorial defense battalion in his native Ukraine, Lomachenko held off unbeaten contender Jamaine Ortiz last October.
Lomachenko said, “My goal is to become the undisputed lightweight champion, and Devin Haney is the man with the belts. I respect his boxing IQ and am excited for this challenge.”
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