Devin Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko | ESPN PPV - May 20, 2023

[NateJR]

Loma can't afford to give away the early rounds like he did against Teo. Loma needs to start fast and find ways to get inside and land quick combinations. I have a hard time seeing a prime Loma beating a big young lightweight as skilled as Haney, much less the Loma of today.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release | ESPN+ Undercard Information

A pair of 19-year-old lightweights are set to return in separate bouts as part of the ESPN+-streamed undercard to the PPV main event headlined by the undisputed lightweight championship battle between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Undefeated Las Vegas native Emiliano Fernando Vargas will take on an opponent to be named in a four-round bout, and Cleveland-born southpaw Abdullah Mason will face Desmond Lyons in a six-rounder.

Vargas' return, Mason-Lyons and additional undercard fights will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

The stream will precede a two-fight ESPN telecast featuring the vacant WBO junior bantamweight world title showdown between Australia’s former world champion Andrew Moloney and Japan’s undefeated former WBO flyweight titlist Junto Nakatani. Moloney-Nakatani and the return of middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The Haney vs. Lomachenko main card will stream live on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV, the event’s exclusive digital distributor in the United States, beginning 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 and Adam “BluNose” Lopez in a rematch of their 2019 battle.

In the PPV opener, rising lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla will take on big-punching Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila in a 10-round clash.

Vargas (4-0, 3 KOs) was a seven-time national amateur champion before debuting in the pro ranks in May 2022 with a first-round knockout of Mark Salgado. In October, “El General” signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank and debuted with a highlight-reel knockout over Julio Martinez. Under the guidance of his father and trainer, former world champion Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, the young lightweight has already scored two victories this year, a four-round decision win over Francisco Duque in February and a second-round knockout over Edgar Uvalle in April.

Mason (7-0, 6 KOs) was considered one of the brightest talents in U.S. amateur boxing before signing with Top Rank in October 2021. Mason made his pro debut in November 2021 with a second-round TKO win over Jaylan Phillips. In 2022, Mason went 5-0 with four knockouts. The southpaw phenom is coming off a first-round stoppage over Erick Garcia Benitez in April. Lyons (8-2, 2 KOs) is a 24-year-old South Carolina native who defeated Aaron Jamel Hollis via a six-round decision last May.

In other undercard action streaming on ESPN+:

Junior featherweight Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (8-0, 3 KOs) looks to shine in front of a hometown crowd in an eight-round bout against a to-be-determined foe. Diaz is coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Edgar Joe Cortes last November.

Middleweight slugger Amari Jones (8-0, 7 KOs) will make his 2023 debut in a six-round clash. In 2022, Jones traveled to Melbourne, Australia, and fought on the undercard of both Haney-George Kambosos Jr. fights.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Premiere later today

[oogiebe]

Really looking forward to seeing Emiliano Vargas again. Early in his career, but I think he's a star in the making.

[gregregegg]

Likely Haney is just to big and to fast for a slightly faded loma, but Loma by stoppage at 8.5-1 seems pretty nice to me and I’ll have a little flutter on that. Haney has showed some chin issues and cuts so much weight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Undisputed lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) is between a 2.5 and 3:1 favorite to retain his belt against three division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs).

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC Press Release

Fight week is here. Undisputed lightweight king Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) will defend his crown against Ukraine’s three-division world champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko (23-2, including the World Series of Boxing) on Saturday, May 20th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Haney (pictured) vs. Lomachenko will stream live on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The undercard features a ten-round junior lightweight contest between former 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 broadcast opener, lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (16-0, 13 KOs) will take on big-punching Namibian contender Jeremia Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs) in a ten-round clash.

The stream will be preceded by a two-fight ESPN telecast featuring Australia’s Andrew Moloney (25-2, 16 KOs) and Japan’s undefeated former flyweight titlist Junto Nakatani (24-0, 18 KOs). Opening the broadcast will be middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (8-0, 5 KOs), grandson of Muhammad Ali, in a scheduled eight-rounder against Ohio-born veteran Danny Rosenberger (13-9-4, 4 KOs). Moloney-Nakatani and Ali Walsh-Rosenberger will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The night will begin with an ESPN+-streamed undercard (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) featuring the return of undefeated lightweights Emiliano Fernando Vargas (4-0, 3 KOs) and Abdullah Mason (7-0, 6 KOs). Vargas, son of former world champion Fernando “El Feroz” Vargas, returns in an eight-rounder, while Mason, a Cleveland-born southpaw, will see action in a six-round clash. The undercard also features unbeaten junior featherweight Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (8-0, 3 KOs) in an eight-rounder and middleweight slugger Amari Jones (8-0, 7 KOs) a six-round tilt.

[Redback Rasta]

Haney a raging favourite everywhere. Can't remember the last time Loma went in as the underdog? Perhaps never?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Harvey Dock will be the referee

3 judges are Nevada’s Tim Cheatham and Dave Moretti – and Oklahoma’s David Sutherland.

[DrDuke]

If Lomachenko wins, he'll be an ATG.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[apollo creed]

Very hard fight for Loma. He has all against him. Haney is a very slick-skilled-young big opponent + the Vegas business cartel.

[adislav123]

everything's possible but lomachenko would have to put a stellar performance together and which is very unlikely catch haney on subpar.

the relentless whirlwind that loma once was isn't there anymore and haney doesn't seem like a guy who allows himself an off night.

i can't see lomachenko get effectively thru haney's non stop and quick jab output.

both will find that out quite early and if haney doesn't get cocky and starts playing stupid games, that should be about it.

i could very well be wrong.

[KiwiRider]

Really looking forward to seeing Emiliano Vargas again. Early in his career, but I think he's a star in the making.

Same.
It's actually a pretty good card, albeit not of a particularly high level like the main event, but a good selection of prospects and reasonable opposition, as far as I can tell.
I'm planning to try and catch the whole event.

[Sweet Dick Willie]

What is it that makes you guys think Loma doesn't have it in him anymore? His performance against Teo wasn't exactly stellar but it was due to his injury and bad strategy, which was due to the injury. Nakatani and Commey couldn't do anything to him and before the awkward and slick Ortiz he had been out of the ring for almost a year and yes - during that year he was in a war. Boxing-wise I cannot say is Loma fading yet, but on Saturday we'll see how it is. Right now I think it's a 50-50 or 55-45 fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

A very early weigh in.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[goose 5]

36 hours to rehydrate; maybe the rumors of Haney getting in the ring at almost 160 are true.

[Redback Rasta]

36 hours to rehydrate; maybe the rumors of Haney getting in the ring at almost 160 are true.

Size matters in the ring, as we all know. I don't see Haney losing this.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Loma on how he feels going into this fight compared to when he fought Teofimo Lopez
“Look, right now it’s a different style and it’s 100% a different motivation because when I fought with Lopez I was a world champion, three times...right now I’m focusing 100%, right now I’m preparing 100% like always, but right now it looks like: you wake up with this dream, you go to bed with this dream, you live everyday only with this goal in your head.”

On fighting Haney now instead of four years ago
“We have a little bit two different story, because when he asked me about fight he asked when he was without a belt. I hold three belts and I chase my dream and I had a chance to take another belt. But right now situation, (in his contract) he don’t have a choice. In official, he need to give me this chance because when he signed, in the contract he was 100% if he win belts, then he go in Australia and take four belts — in the contract that he signed it was a part where he need to give me this chance.

“So that’s why. This is a real story. So it’s not I ask him ‘hey, give me please this chance, give me this chance’, it was official.”

On if he’s annoyed by Haney calling him a dirty fighter
“No, absolutely not, it’s not bother me. I know who I am and I know what I can, and I think always in my boxing career, I think I always was a gentleman. So I don’t know. I can’t comment (on) his words. Maybe you ask him why he say it.

But it’s in the rule,” Lomachenko responds. “But it’s normal, then you stay in the clinch and work and then when the referee say something you need to react. But if he stay quiet and don’t say nothing, I need still continue working. It doesn’t matter, inside, outside, clinch, no clinch, I still work. Yes? Is it in rule?! So I don’t understand.

“Maybe he need to read the rules, maybe he need to study a little bit the rules, maybe. I don’t know.”

On if he truly believes Haney is on his skill level
“I don’t know. It’s just we have a theory and we have practice, and I love more practice than theory because when you practice you can feel it, and you can answer after that all questions on the theory...maybe he’s faster, maybe he’s bigger, maybe he’s stronger, but it’s not only this part (in) game of boxing. We have experience, we have IQ, and of course, motivation.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Weigh in - ceremony

[apollo creed]

I'm rooting for Loma to win 100% ! He has all against him. Imo Haney should fight at 147 but he is a weight and a size bully at 135.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Cent0089]

weigh in 36 hours before fight? WTF ?

[KiwiRider]

weigh in 36 hours before fight? WTF ?

Yeah, I wasn't expecting that.
Both guys can pile it on unless there is another weight in on the day
If not, we could have a world record lightweight title fight between two welters. Haney has a big frame.. He would likely benefit most.