Shakur Stevenson can not envision Devin Haney shedding to Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Even when Haney-Lomachenko unfolds the best way Stevenson sees it taking place, the previous featherweight and junior light-weight champion nonetheless wouldn’t anticipate Haney to defend the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO light-weight championships towards him. Stevenson, the WBC’s third-ranked challenger for certainly one of Haney’s titles, thinks Haney will quit his belts and transfer as much as the 140-pound division after he faces Lomachenko.
Stevenson mentioned presumably dealing with Haney throughout a current look on “The DAZN Boxing Present,” which is co-hosted by Barak Bess and Akin Reyes.
“I known as Devin out,” Stevenson stated. “The factor is, Devin bought a state of affairs with Lomachenko, the place they going for that route. He’s going as much as 140. Like I feel everyone knows that he’s gonna attempt to transfer as much as 140 after that. So, you recognize, he regarded actual lifeless after his final struggle with [George] Kambosos, so you may’t pin all of it on him. You’ll be able to’t blame him. If the struggle occurs, I’ll positively be down for it.”
The 23-year-old Haney has made it clear that he gained’t proceed to compete within the light-weight division for much longer.
Determination-makers for Bob Arum’s High Rank Inc. – which promotes Haney, Lomachenko and Stevenson – haven’t solidified a date or website for Haney-Lomachenko. Haney (29-0, 15 KOs), of Henderson, Nevada, and Ukraine’s Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) are anticipated to struggle subsequent, nevertheless, in what figures to be essentially the most tough struggle of Haney’s seven-year skilled profession.
Stevenson’s handlers are negotiating with representatives for Japanese contender Shuichiro Yoshino for them to struggle April 8 in a foremost occasion ESPN will televise from a venue to be decided. A WBC elimination match between Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs), who’s ranked fifth among the many WBC’s light-weight contenders, would decide the WBC’s subsequent necessary challenger within the 135-pound division.
If Haney have been to defeat Lomachenko and quit his 4 light-weight titles, the Stevenson-Yoshino winner would field one other contender for the WBC’s unclaimed light-weight championship.
The 25-year-old Stevenson, a southpaw from Newark, New Jersey, will make his debut on the 135-pound restrict in his subsequent struggle. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist misplaced his WBC and WBO 130-pound championships on the scale as a result of he got here in chubby for his 12-round, unanimous-decision defeat of Brazil’s Robson Conceicao (17-2, 8 KOs) on September 23 at Prudential Middle in Newark.
Keith Idec is a senior author/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He might be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.