The 135-pound picture is packed with star talent featuring the likes of undisputed champion Devin Haney and top-flight contenders and former champions like Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, Isaac Cruz, and Ryan Garcia.
Outside of Davis’ clash against Cruz last year, however, no one else has faced one another in the professional ranks.
Top Rank has Haney, Lomachenko, and Stevenson signed under the same banner, and the promotional company plans to pit the stars against each other starting in 2023.
But first, the final piece to the puzzle will have to complete the picture when Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) fights Jamaine Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) on Saturday at the Madison Square Garden in New York on ESPN.
Haney is coming fresh off yet another beatdown of George Kambosos Jr. while the 25-year-old Stevenson was stripped of his 130-pound titles in his last fight against Robson Conceicao in September after failing to make weight. Immediately before he scored a unanimous decision against Conceicao, Stevenson said he would be campaigning at 135 pounds moving forward.
Chief among the foes Stevenson would like to face is Lomachenko.
“Lomachenko, I think me and Loma could be a big fight,” Stevenson said on the DAZN Boxing Show. “Make it happen in the next one or two fights. I’m ready. It’s clear as day – their mind is already made up on that. They know that I’m ready. They ain’t going to sugar coat me. They ain’t going to take me on cakewalks. They know I’m ready … Lomachenko wants those belts [that Haney has]. His mind ain’t really focused on me.”
Earlier this month, Lomachenko assessed the fast-ascending Stevenson.
“He’s a good boxer,” said Lomachenko. “He's a smart boxer, a very technical boxer. When I sparred with him, it was 126, 130-pounds. Now he’s much bigger. I think he has much more power. So now it would be very interesting.”
The 2016 Olympics silver medalist Stevenson expects Lomachenko to go the “Haney route” in 2023.
Before signing off, the former two-division champion Stevenson also took aim at “Pitbull” Cruz.
“I would [take the fight against Cruz], but it’s just going to let the fans know what they already know. I’m just going to box his head off. He ain’t going to be able to do anything with me,” he said.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
