HOLLYWOOD, Calif – The stars of the lightweight division have mostly delivered lukewarm matchups in recent years instead of fighting each other, but that narrative will soon come to a complete stop when four of its kings clash in a one-month span.
On April 22, Gervonta Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) will take on Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) in a 136-pound catchweight fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Showtime pay-per-view.
On May 20, undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) will defend his titles against Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
If you ask Haney, he believes his lightweight matchup is the more significant one.
“Obviously, they got the influencer thing going on. Ryan has a big following. Tank has a big following. So, it's a big fight,” Haney said in an interview with BoxingScene.com and other reporters. “But true boxing followers and boxing writers know this is the real fight. This is the No. 1 and the No. 2 fighting each other to be the king of the division.”
Haney quickly countered his argument admitting that perhaps he could have been involved in a more lucrative blockbuster event had it been a different dance partner than Lomachenko.
“I wouldn't say this is the biggest fight I could have made at 135 pounds, but definitely the toughest. The guy with the credentials and the experience [is Lomachenko], for sure,” said Haney.
“There are definitely bigger money fights out there. I could have sat back and waited for it. But this is legacy. Loma has the credentials and was pound for pound No. 1 at a time.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
