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Tonight’s fight between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko was already looking tasty, but now it looks like there’s some bad blood to go with the general rivalry. They’d been sending shots at each other throughout the week, but there was nothing too dramatic, and it all seemed respectful. The heat turned up, though, when they stood across from each other yesterday.
Weigh-in Drama
Things were going well at the weigh-in, with both fighters making weight without issue. When they faced each other for the traditional head-to-head, though, Haney had some things to say. Lomachenko’s response was a confident smirk, and the young champion really seemd to take umbrage, shoving his opponent across the stage before stalking off.
Of course, some pushing and shoving at moments like this is not uncommon. Usually it’s just promotional bullshit, a bit of drama for the cameras, but Haney did seem genuinely irate as he left the stage. Lomachenko for his part seemed unfazed, telling reporters afterwards that he’d felt the power and “now he is mine”.
Medical check-up for Loma, potential sanctions for Haney
The Nevada State Athletic Commission weren’t happy, with sources telling ESPN that they will be filing a complaint with its attorneys office and seeking a disciplinary hearing for Haney. They also required a second medical check-up for Lomachenko, to make sure the push didn’t cause anything serious.
The NSAC have history here, of course. They were the commission in charge when the UFC infamously lost a main event to this kind of thing, when Jeremy Stephens shoved Drakkar Klose so hard he ended up with concussion and whiplash. Thankfully, nothing like that appears to have happened here, and the fight should go ahead as scheduled.
While this is the first time he’s lost his temper, Haney has been trying to needle Lomachenko throughout the buildup, stating in interviews that Lomachenko is a dirty fighter who likes to punch after the referee calls break. Whether he’s genuinely bothered or this is all mind-games, we may find out in a few hours. You can catch all the action in our dedicated live post.
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