Devin Haney violently pushed Vasyl Lomachenko during their face-off on Friday at the weigh-in, sending the challenger back half a dozen feet on the stage.
Hopefully, the shove from the bully-like Haney isn’t a prelude to the of fighting that we see from him on Saturday night against Lomachenko because that would be boring if that’s part of his main defensive strategy.
The referee will have to control Haney’s shoving if he’s going to use this tactic when Lomachenko gets in punching range in their headliner this Saturday, May 20th.
Before Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) could retaliate, Haney made a quick beeline off the stage in what appeared to be an avoidance to prevent any fisticuffs or slaps from the two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) had no explanation afterward for why he chose to shove Lomachenko because he wasn’t being trash-talked.
Lomachenko said nothing to Haney during the face-off and was standing and staring with no hint of emotion on his face. There was no smirk on the face of Loma to aggravate Haney to the point where he would need to shove him.
When interviewed afterward, Haney appeared triumphant, as if he’d just won the fight rather than assaulting Lomachenko with no warning. It was very strange.
Haney weighed in at 134.9 lbs, and Lomachenko at 135 lbs at today’s weigh-in before the shoving incident by the four-belt champion.
The 24-year-old Haney bragged during an interview with ESPN about how “easy” it was for him to shove the smaller man, then claimed that this is how he’s going to “impose” his will on him on Saturday night in their headliner on ESPN PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Haney talks about his shoving of Lomachenko
“The time has finally come. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been four years, and I’ve always dreamed of facing off with him and it’s finally time,” said Devin Haney in giving a vague answer to ESPN commentator Bernardo Osuna at Top Rank Boxing when asked why he violently pushed Vasyl Lomachenko out of the blue during their face-off today at the weigh-in.
“That was just the start. Did you see how easily I pushed him out? He’s a small man, and I’m going to impose my will on him.
“I had to be disciplined to make the weight comfortable and healthy. I look forward to showing that on fight night, how strong and healthy, and how disciplined I was.
“I can’t wait to show how great Devin Haney is, and this is a fight that will bring out my greatness,” said Haney.
