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I wouldn't be surprised if Haney wins this. He's got a very educated lead and that, with the length, speed, and good pop out footwork, will make it hard for Loma to close. He's good at banking rounds too.
If he does come up short, however, here's a list of excuses for you.
He's nearly outgrown the division, and he'll be weight drained. He already doesn't have much power to speak of, which will make it harder to keep Loma off, and when Loma comes in form, he's a very tough puzzle to crack. Arguably nobody really has, as he was injured in an essential way against Lopez, and he started too late against Salido. But many, maybe even most, thought he was winning the later rounds handily.
Loma does most of his offense off the front foot, so Haney will have to be able to put him on the back foot. He may not have the power at 135 to do that.
He's vulnerable to the southpaw cross lead, which is Loma's bread and butter. That's partly because he relies too heavily on defending power shots with just his rear glove, and that makes him more vulnerable, especially to an opponent who feints.
He's also well known for a jab and clinch style, and won't be accustomed to having his opponent drain him or rough him up when he clinches, and he already has a tendency to fade a little in later rounds, which usually doesn't matter because he's so good at banking early ones.
I think the first 3 or four rounds will really tell us a lot. I'm betting that Loma will need to start faster than his usual to beat Haney. If Haney is able to push Loma back in early rounds and neutralize his angles, much like Jamaine Ortiz managed for most of the fight, he'll likely win a decision, possibly wide. But if it's competitive in the early rounds and Loma's activity is high in by round 4, that's going to be a bad sign for Haney. I'm honestly expecting one of them to really separate himself from the other. Either Haney will demonstrate that he's really on another level defensively and be able to keep Loma off, or Loma will remind everyone why he's likely a first ballot HOF, and one of the greatest amateurs ever. But the exciting thing is that I don't know which one will happen. Haney's got tools that rightly make him the favorite, but Loma's got that exciting style and all the experience, and Haney is just limited enough to make a Loma victory a possibility.
I actually respect Haney quite a bit. He got to undisputed the hard way, even starting his career in Mexican bars, not on a Top Rank televised card. This will be the hardest fight yet for both of them, I suspect, however. Maybe not as fan friendly as Davis v Garcia, but will be one of the best technical matchups in modern boxing IMO.
I also hope if Haney does win that he'll stick around long enough to fight Davis and Shakur. If he can beat Loma and those two on top of the resume he's already got, and then have time to move up and take on the field at 140, that would really cement him as one of the best right now.
If he does come up short, however, here's a list of excuses for you.
He's nearly outgrown the division, and he'll be weight drained. He already doesn't have much power to speak of, which will make it harder to keep Loma off, and when Loma comes in form, he's a very tough puzzle to crack. Arguably nobody really has, as he was injured in an essential way against Lopez, and he started too late against Salido. But many, maybe even most, thought he was winning the later rounds handily.
Loma does most of his offense off the front foot, so Haney will have to be able to put him on the back foot. He may not have the power at 135 to do that.
He's vulnerable to the southpaw cross lead, which is Loma's bread and butter. That's partly because he relies too heavily on defending power shots with just his rear glove, and that makes him more vulnerable, especially to an opponent who feints.
He's also well known for a jab and clinch style, and won't be accustomed to having his opponent drain him or rough him up when he clinches, and he already has a tendency to fade a little in later rounds, which usually doesn't matter because he's so good at banking early ones.
I think the first 3 or four rounds will really tell us a lot. I'm betting that Loma will need to start faster than his usual to beat Haney. If Haney is able to push Loma back in early rounds and neutralize his angles, much like Jamaine Ortiz managed for most of the fight, he'll likely win a decision, possibly wide. But if it's competitive in the early rounds and Loma's activity is high in by round 4, that's going to be a bad sign for Haney. I'm honestly expecting one of them to really separate himself from the other. Either Haney will demonstrate that he's really on another level defensively and be able to keep Loma off, or Loma will remind everyone why he's likely a first ballot HOF, and one of the greatest amateurs ever. But the exciting thing is that I don't know which one will happen. Haney's got tools that rightly make him the favorite, but Loma's got that exciting style and all the experience, and Haney is just limited enough to make a Loma victory a possibility.
I actually respect Haney quite a bit. He got to undisputed the hard way, even starting his career in Mexican bars, not on a Top Rank televised card. This will be the hardest fight yet for both of them, I suspect, however. Maybe not as fan friendly as Davis v Garcia, but will be one of the best technical matchups in modern boxing IMO.
I also hope if Haney does win that he'll stick around long enough to fight Davis and Shakur. If he can beat Loma and those two on top of the resume he's already got, and then have time to move up and take on the field at 140, that would really cement him as one of the best right now.
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