There’s a healthy amount of respect that Devin Haney has for Vasiliy Lomachenko. That said, he also loathes the manner in which the Ukrainian often fights.

During much of the lead-up to their lightweight title clash this upcoming weekend, Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) has shouted to all who would listen that Lomachenko is a great but dirty fighter. Those sly remarks, however, have rubbed the former two-time Olympic gold medalist the wrong way. Although the now 35-year-old believes that Haney has mastered the sport of boxing, when it comes to the rules and regulations, Lomachenko is convinced that the 24-year-old could use a bit of brushing up.

“Maybe he needs to read the rules,” said Lomachenko during an interview with Fight Hub TV.  

More than anything, Haney is under the assumption that Lomachenko hits his opponents when a given referee orders them to break and separate. At times, Haney has gone as far as to pull up footage of Lomachenko’s alleged rule-breaking.

Throughout it all, the former three-divisional champion has appeared irritated. From his point of view, everything he’s done inside the ring has been clean and according to the book. Considering how he fights, along with Haney’s height and reach advantages, many believe that in order to pull out the victory, the shorter and smaller Lomachenko will need to enlist the help of roughhouse tactics on the inside.

Regardless of his game plan, Lomachenko has stated on numerous occasions that every trick he has up his sleeves is fair and legal. As for crafty behavior, Lomachenko took the time to break down what he does when he gets in close and wants to further highlight that Haney’s claims are simply erroneous.

“It’s normal when you stay in the clinch and work. When the referee says something, you need to react but if you stay quiet and don’t say nothing I need to still continue working.”