- Devin Haney has opened as the sizable -225 favorite in a potential fight against Vasyl Lomachenko.
- Lomachenko, who struggled to beat Jamaine Ortiz last weekend, opened at +172 odds.
- The opening odds mark the longest in the careers of both fighters.
The fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Devin Haney has been talked about for years but has never been close to happening. The matchup was once again revisited last weekend after Lomachenko defeated Jamaine Ortiz in his first bout since 2021.
Loma and Haney Share the Ring
Loma & Haney share the ring post-fight đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/dA039ms7py
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 30, 2022
The promoters hyped up the fight when Haney was called to the center of the ring during Loma’s post-fight interview. The two exchanged words and from what you can hear in the video, Loma sounded like he wanted the fight and Haney was willing to give it to him if he would accept his demands the way the American did when he fought George Kambosos twice in Australia.
Haney would later go to Twitter and say that if everything makes sense, it’s next:
If everything makes sense it’s next…
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) October 30, 2022
From a boxing point of view, a Loma vs Haney fight does make sense. After all, it was supposed to be Lomachenko who was slated to fight Kambosos but Loma ultimately begged off to return home to Ukraine and help his countrymen fight the war against Russia. Haney ended up fighting Kambosos and beating the Australian for the undisputed title. He gave Kambosos a rematch and won again, closing the book between them.
Making the fight is easier said than done, however. And it is an entirely different story if we are ever going to see both sign on the dotted line. But if it does happen, the oddsmakers say that Haney would be a sizable favorite to beat Lomachenko.
Haney Opens as Sizable Favorite Versus Loma
Devin Haney (-225)
Vasyl Lomachenko (+172)https://t.co/I4Rbf3yStl— ProBoxingOdds (@ProBoxingOdds) November 1, 2022
According to the best boxing betting sites, Haney would be the -225 favorite in a potential bout with Lomachenko. Loma meanwhile, hit the betting boards at +172, the first time in his professional boxing career that he’s opened at plus-money odds. In fact, Loma’s previous longest opening odds were the -400 he was given when he fought Richard Commey two fights ago last December.
But after his performance against the unheralded Ortiz last weekend, those opening odds are not at all surprising. While Lomachenko beat Ortiz via unanimous decision, it was a tougher-than-expected outing for Loma who closed at -1400 odds to win that bout. Ortiz controlled the first half of the bout with his athleticism, superior size, and jab before Lomachenko rallied down the stretch to win via decision.
However, It wasn’t the usual dominant performance that we’ve seen Loma deliver in the past. We’ve seen a different Lomachenko in the ring since he was upset as the -370 betting favorite against Teofimo Lopez in October 2020. Before that bout, we saw Loma force his opponents to quit in the ring one after the other in a brilliant display of boxing skills. But Loma is now 34 and in his last bout, he looked pretty much his age.
And Still Undisputed, Undefeated
#AndStill Undisputed Undefeated Lightweight Champion of the World, @Realdevinhaney !!!
*Haney defeats Kambosos for the second time via a wonderful performance. pic.twitter.com/5ssTftQ5zD
— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) October 16, 2022
Meanwhile, Haney is fresh off a convincing unanimous decision win over George Kambosos last October 16th at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. The bout was a rematch of their June 5th encounter, also in Australia, where then WBC champion Haney defeated Kambosos to become the undisputed lightweight champion in boxing.
Looking at the betting odds, a fight with Lomachenko would mean the longest opening odds for Haney too. To date, Haney’s -280 opening odds in the first Kambosos fight stand as the longest of his professional boxing career. He opened at -850 odds in the rematch and left no doubt about who the lightweight champion is.
Against Lomachenko, Haney has the same advantages as Ortiz had – size and athleticism, only that Haney is so much better. There are reports that Haney is considering a move to 140-pounds and is willing to fight whomever. He is also linked to former 130-pound king Shakur Stevenson in what many believe to be a bigger fight.
