Devin Haney says he’ll stay at lightweight for fights against Gervonta Davis or Shakur Stevenson after defeating challenger Vasyl Lomachenko by an unpopular 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
If Haney chooses to stay at 135, he won’t have a hard time getting a fight against his #1 WBC contender Shakur (20-0, 10 KOs) because he said tonight that he wants to face him next. Shakur also said he thought Lomachenko was robbed, as he had him winning 8-4.
Getting a fight against Tank Davis could prove to be nearly impossible for Haney, and he’d be better off not putting too much energy into trying to get that fight.
Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) appeared to lose the fight in the eyes of seemingly most of the fans at ringside, who loudly booed the results after the fight. The response to Haney’s victory on social media was overwhelmingly negative, with many people calling it a robbery.
Bernardo Osuna: “What was it about Loma that gave you trouble, especially in the middle and late rounds?”
Devin Haney: “He’s a crafty fighter. He turns it up in the championship rounds. I just got to take my hat off. He’s a great fighter. It was all experience.”
Osuna: “Everyone talked about the size and talked about the age. What mattered was getting to 30 wins. What do you take away from this victory?”
“Me and my team are going to go back to the house and watch the fight and reflect on it. I’ve been at 135 for a long, long time. This is my 30th fight. I’ve been at 135 since I was 16 years old. So we’re going to go back to the lab and figure out what’s next.”
Osuna: “We’ve been talking about this being the last fight at 135. It seems like it’s been forever. What was it about tonight that makes you think this may be it?”
Haney: “It’s always been tough for me to make the weight. I’ve accomplished everything at 135. I just beat a future Hall of Famer. This is my eighth title defense. There are still a lot of great fighters in the 135-lb division. If it makes sense, then we’ll be at 135.”
Osuna: “What fights make sense for you at 135?”
Haney: “We’ve got fighters like Shakur. We got fighters like Gervonta, and the list goes on and on.”
Osuna: “Tonight, you remain undisputed. What does this fight do for your career?”
Haney: “It puts me in the history books forever. I just beat a future Hall of Famer. It means everything to me and my team.”
