Two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko looks to reclaim his spot atop the pound-for-pound list this evening (Sat., May 20, 2023) when he battles undisputed Lightweight champion, Devin Haney, in the hallowed halls of MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the Haney vs. Lomachenko main event below. The ESPN+ “Prelims” begin at 6 p.m. ET, continue both there and on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, then transition to ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET. Haney and Lomachenko are expected to make the walk closer to midnight.
Haney — once derided as an “email champion” after WBC’s Byzantine title process elevated him from “interim” to “world” champion — secured his place among the elite with back-to-back victories over unified titlist, George Kambosos Jr. Lomachenko, for his part, is perfect (3-0) since a shock upset loss to Teofimo Lopez knocked him from his perch, but has a lot to prove after a rough performance against Jamaine Ortiz in Oct. 2022.
ESPN+’s three-fight pay-per-view (PPV) card also sees former two-division champion Oscar Valdez rematch all-action Adam Lopez and rising prospect Raymond Muratalla square off with surging veteran, Jeremia Nakathila.
Haney Vs. Lomachenko Quick Results:
Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko — Haney def. Lomachenko by unanimous decision (116-112 x2, 115-113)
Oscar Valdez vs. Adam Lopez — Valdez def. Lopez by unanimous decision (98-92, 98-91, 97-93)
Raymond Muratalla vs. Jeremia Nakathila — Muratalla def. Nakathila by TKO at 2:48 of Round Two
Haney Vs. Lomachenko Round-By-Round Updates:
Undisputed Lightweight Championship: Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko
Round one: Haney pumping the jab, lands a solid left hook and a pair of rights to the body. Another right downstairs. Combination from Lomachenko, left uppercut gets through Haney’s guard. Trading jabs halfway through. 1-1-2 from Haney, Lomachenko tries to flurry inside. There’s the first clinch from Haney. Sharp jab lands for Lomachenko. Haney comes back with another right downstairs. Lomachenko tries to open up in the corner and Haney clinches. Solid flurry in the final seconds. 10-9 Haney.
Round two: Haney on the front foot, keeping the lead hand active. Another right to the body. Solid combo by Lomachenko, Haney again ducks down to clinch. Jab exchange. Right to the body from Haney yet again. Solid angles inside. Both bang the body halfway through. Lomachenko puts together a combo, eats another right downstairs. Another one on the counter. Lomachenko backs him to the corner and fires a lengthy volley, some of which get through. Straight left. 2-1 to answer another body shot from Haney. Good exchange in the center. 10-9, 20-18 Haney.
Round three: Haney continuing to find the right hand to the body. Lomachenko comes in, gets clinched. Haney counter right. Combinations flying from both sides. Double jab by Haney, double lead left by Lomachenko. Clinch. Halfway through. Lomachenko 1-2, then a series of body shots inside. Clinch. Haney body shot, Lomachenko straight left. Exchanging at point-blank. Now Lomachenko building some steam, putting together sharp combos. Straight left lands clean and Haney looks to come back with combinations. Stiff jabs by Haney. 10-9 Lomachenko, 29-28 Haney.
Round four: 1-1-2 from Haney to the body. Another good right downstairs. Nice angle from Lomachenko to set up a short-range combo. Stiff Lomachenko jab, then a straight left. Haney continuing to keep his jab active, lands one to the body. They trade hooks as Lomachenko pushes in. Clinch halfway through. Haney body shot, jab. Another right downstairs. Lomachenko backs him to the corner, clinch. Hard jab by Lomachenko, eats a right hand in return. Haney steps into the clinch and they tumble to the mat, apparently at Lomachenko’s move. Haney bangs the body in the waning seconds. 10-9, 39-37 Haney.
Round five: Haney finding a lot of success to the body. Lomachenko continuing to push forward, Haney doing solid work in response. Clinch. Double left fro Lomachenko kicks fof a combo, Haney clinches in response. Halfway through. Haney two-piece, Lomachenko jab. Haney to teh body, clinch. Both club each other inside. Double left by Lomachenko, 2-1 behind it. Haney digs another right to the body. Long jabs. 10-9, 49-46 Haney.
Round six: This is just really good, competitive, high-level boxing. Heavy straight left from Lomachenko, clinch. Another sharp straight left. Haney lands a counter right to the body. More shots to the midsection. Great inside work from Lomachenko. 1-2, clinch. Halfway through. Combinations starting to pile up for Lomachenko. Clinch. Haney loads up on a right downstairs, follows with hard uppercuts. Roughhousing in center ring. Nice jab by Haney. Clinch. Another body shot by Haney. 10-9 Lomachenko, 58-56 Haney.
Round seven: Hard 1-2-2 lands for Lomachenko. Haney comes back with a jab and a hard chopping right inside. Clinch. Another clinch, Loma spins Haney around. Nice combo from Lomachenko capped by a body shot. Clinch. More roughhousing in the clinch. Halfway through. They trade right hands, Haney follows to the body. Lomachenko 1-2. Jab and body shot by Haney, clinch. Good short right from Haney prompts Lomachenko to unload a lengthy flurry. Haney body shot. Big 1-1-2 from Lomachenko, his best shot in a while. Haney answers to the body. Clubbing right hook from Lomachenko in the final seconds. 10-9 Lomachenko, 67-66 Haney.
Round eight: Nice combinations from Lomachenko. Short uppercut glances off. Haney digs a good right to the body. They collide and Lomachenko slips to the mat. Sharp straight right by Haney, double left by Lomachenko in return. Lomachenko pressuring hard halfway through. Lomachenko counter left. Haney loads up on another right body shot, lands a few more before they tie up. Sharp counter jab by Lomachenko, clinch. Lomachenko lead left, counter right by Haney. Haney 1-1-2 downstairs. 1-2. Clinch. 10-9, 77-75 Haney.
Round nine: Continuing to trade combinations. Haney still finding the right to the body. Hard body shot met by a counter from Lomachenko. Haney chopping right. Lomachenko tries to pursue and eats a check hook. Trading at point-blank. Lomachenko straight left, straight right from Haney. Haney body shot, Lomachenko combinations. Lomachenko 1-1-2, clinch. Another lead left. Haney answers with sharp jabs. Lomachenko 2-1 Haney body shots. Nice inside work by Haney. Lomachenko comes back with a straight left. Anotehr straight left. Haney body shot, clinch. 10-9 Lomachenko, 86-85 Haney.
Round ten: Relatively slow start compared to the preceding rounds. Clinch. Body shots from Haney. Lomachenko comes back with a vicious volley that stings Haney, prompting a clinch. Another clinch. Halfway through. Lomachenko continuing to pressure, Haney looking to answer but getting the worst of it. Left hand exchange. Clinch. Sharp jabs from Lomachenko in the final seconds. 10-9 Lomachenko, 95-95.
Round eleven: Heavy 2-1 from Lomachenko, then a short left on the break. 2-3 appears to buzz Haney, prompting another clinch. Lomachenko pursuing Haney avross the ring. Big jab and he’s hurting Haney, unleashing heavy power shots. Continuing to stalk and unload vicious combinations. Cornered halfway through. Haney still firing back but Lomachenko is eating him up. Nasty body shots. Things slow back down and they get back to feinting at range. 1-2 to the body from Haney. 1-1-2. 10-9, 105-104 Lomachenko.
Round twelve: They briefly pause at the start to deal with a Lomachenko glove issue. Trading heavy shots. Lomachenko marching forward, landing clean. Haney bangs the body. Haney counter right, clinch. Lomachenko digs a left to the body, eats a combo from Haney in return. Lomachenko backs him to the corner and they trade until he ties up. Hard shots from Haney inside. Lomachenko doubles up the left and rips the body. Haney counter right, clinch. Haney body shot, Lomachenko straight left. Same sequence again. Clinch in the corner. Haney rips the body, lands a counter. Heavy right hook by Lomachenko in the final seconds. 10-9 Haney, 114-114. The swing rounds are all Lomachenko, though.
Final result: Haney def. Lomachenko by unanimous decision
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