The Disputed Haney-Lomachenko Decision: Two Years Later, Still a Robbery in the Eyes of Boxing Fans

Two years ago, on May 20, 2023, Devin Haney won a disputed 12-round unanimous decision over Vasily Lomachenko. The victory for the much bigger-looking Haney angered many fans, who saw it overwhelmingly in favor of Lomachenko. Few fans respected this result.

The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113. Many felt Haney didn’t deserve the win, but he was given it due to his youth and long career ahead of him. I watched the fight and had it 9-3 for Lomachenko. The judges seemed to be impressed more with Haney’s jabs, ignoring the combination punching that Loma did throughout the contest.

Disputed Haney Victory

• Size Advantage: Devin looked massive compared to Lomachenko during the fight, appearing two divisions larger. That’s not surprising because Haney looked emaciated and starved in appearance at the weigh-in. Fans had viewed him as a weight bully. He reportedly rehydrated to 160 lbs and looked like a middleweight inside the ring. His decision to campaign at 135 instead of at welterweight, where he arguably should have been fighting, was widely criticized. Lomachenko should have stayed at 126, where he was at his best. Haney should have been able to dominate with his unfair size advantage, but he was getting countered all night by the better technically gifted Lomachenko. It’s interesting that Haney waited until 2025 to finally move up to welterweight, where he should have been fighting for years.
• Robbery Outcome: Fans didn’t agree with the fight’s results and felt that the Las Vegas judges gifted the Nevada resident, Devin a decision. Judge Dave Moretti’s 8-4 score in favor of Haney angered many people.
• Lomachenko’s Work Ignored: The effective punching that Lomachenko did in the fight seemed to be ignored by the three judges, who seemed to tune out what he did. Loma outboxed Haney in every round, but the officials didn’t recognize his work.

Despite winning, Haney received no credit from fans or the media due to the controversy. His victory was tainted, and he came out of the fight as someone who was considered to have been given preferential treatment. Some fans believe that boxing was looking for a replacement for Floyd Mayweather Jr., so Devin would be protected to create a false star.

Punch Stats Tell Tale

– Devin Haney: Connected 110 of 405 shots for 27% connect rate
– Vasiliy Lomachenko: Connected 124 of 564 punches for 22%