Vasiliy Lomachenko has warned Devin Haney he will need to back up his bold talk when the pair clash in their undisputed lightweight title blockbuster this weekend.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist must become the first man to defeat Haney in a professional contest if he is to achieve his ambition of holding the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF titles simultaneously, in a showdown which is live on Sky Sports.
Undisputed king Haney, who has compiled a 29-0 (15) record, has been in a typically confident mood ahead of the clash in Las Vegas, but Lomachenko (17-2 (11)) has left the American in no uncertain terms that he will have to do his talking with his fists come fight night.
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“I believe that when you say something, you need to prove it,” Lomachenko, who lost the unified lightweight title to Teofimo Lopez via a unanimous decision defeat in 2020, said.
“I have a lot of experience in boxing, and anything can happen during a fight.
“I just think about what I need to do during a fight – and my goal is to become the undisputed champion of the world.
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Watch Vasiliy Lomachenko’s best knockouts ahead of his undisputed world title fight against Devin Haney this weekend, live on Sky Sports
“It will be very, very interesting. We have two different styles.”
A ninth-round stoppage of Masayoshi Nakatani and unanimous decision wins over Richard Comey and Jamaine Ortiz have vaulted former WBA, WBC and WBO lightweight champion Lomachenko back into position to reclaim those titles and add the belt he has yet to hold.
Haney, meanwhile, is defending the quartet of belts he secured and then successfully defended in a pair of matches against Australia’s George Kambosos Jr in Melbourne in June and October last year respectively.
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Devin Haney felt Vasiliy Lomachenko’s performance against Jamaine Ortiz ‘wasn’t the best’, but he’s expecting a better version when they share a ring
The 24-year-old is now back on his home turf of Las Vegas for this latest defence and has vowed to do to his Ukrainian opponent what he has done to all of his previous opponents since moving into the paid ranks.
“I’m going to put on a dominant victory,” Haney said. “I’m going to go in there and impose my will on Loma and show the world how great Devin Haney really is, how versatile, how strong, how young, and how experienced I am in that ring.
“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.”
Watch Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko for the undisputed lightweight title live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action from 1am on Sunday, May 21.
