Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko traded backstage insults after the pair of lightweight stars arrived at the world-famous MGM Grand.
The current undisputed king Haney, who is 29-0, with 15 KOs, looked the former three-division world champion squarely in the eye and told him he was dirty.
For his part, “Loma” looked cool as a cucumber as he brushed off the tirade with a victory promise. The formidable Ukrainian aims to build on his 17-2, 11 KOs pro record following the most outstanding amateur career ever.
Before tongues lashed, the two hit Las Vegas in style ahead of their showdown this Saturday, May 20, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Devin Haney
Haney said: “This is all a dream come true. I thank God for this every day. I watched fighters make their grand arrivals when I was a young kid.
“This is all a blessing, and I’m excited for Saturday night.”
On how it’s going to go down as he puts up his WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, Haney added: “I’m going to put on a dominant victory.
“I’m going to go in there and impose my will on Loma and show the world how great Devin Haney is, how versatile, how strong, how young, and how experienced I am in that ring.”
Vasiliy Lomachenko
Lomachenko stated: “It will be very, very interesting. We have two different styles.”
“I believe that when you say something, you must prove it. I have a lot of experience in boxing, and anything can happen during a fight.”
He concluded: “I just think about what I must do during a fight. And my goal is to become the undisputed champion of the world.”
Haney vs Loma
Video captured by Top Rank showed Haney and Loma fuel the flames of anticipation ahead of one of the year’s most significant events.
👀 @RealDevinHaney tells @VasylLomachenko he's a dirty fighter.
Real Time Ep. 2 ➡️ https://t.co/tpwJA73v73 pic.twitter.com/WTzmyqJo6v
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 17, 2023
Haney vs. Lomachenko will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV. ESPN is the event’s exclusive digital distributor in the United States.
The telecast begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Priced at $59.99 across all distributors, it also will be available via cable and satellite pay-per-view providers.
The PPV undercard features a 10-round junior lightweight co-feature between two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) and Adam “BluNose” Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) in a rematch of their 2019 battle.
In the PPV opener, rising lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (17-0, 14 KOs) will take on big-punching Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-round clash.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Devin Haney Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, tickets are on sale now at axs.com.
