According to Jeff Mayweather, Devin Haney’s size advantage will be the key factor in defeating Vasily Lomachenko in their headliner this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Jeff stresses that Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) must take risks if he wants any chance of winning against the bigger Haney (29-0, 15 KOs).
Mayweather thinks that Lomachenko cannot afford to start slow like he did against Teofimo Lopez in 2020.
In that fight, Loma didn’t do anything until the sixth round and then claimed afterwards that he thought he had won. This was an unacceptable performance from the Ukrainian.
Even if Lomachenko does take risks, it will be difficult because Haney has revealed his plans for fighting by repeatedly calling Loma a “dirty fighter.”
If Lomachenko can break free from Haney’s clinches to land some power shots inside, we could witness a thrilling match on Saturday.
Lomachenko’s swift foot speed could come in handy to land his shots against Haney, who is known for his long jab and straight arms, which he uses along with constant holding as his primary defensive tactic.
Lomachenko Must Not Start Slow
“Yes, I think Devin wins the fight. I think Devin is very crafty, he knows range, he knows distance, and he’s much bigger,” said Jeff Mayweather to Fighthype, picking Devin Haney to defeat Vasyl Lomachenko.
“I think the size is going to be a factor, and it’s going to be kind of a chess match. They’re both going to be looking for, but Devin’s size is going to be too much. It’s going to make a huge difference in this fight.
“I hope he does because if he doesn’t, what chance does he really have?” said Jeff when asked if he thinks Lomachenko will take more chances against Haney than he did in his loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2020.
“If he doesn’t take any risks, he has no chance at all. The one thing is this. He can’t give away rounds like he did with Teofimo. He gave away six rounds before he did anything,” Jeff added.
Taking Risks Is the Key for Loma
“Take risks and if you get knocked out, you get knocked out,” said Mayweather. “Take a risk to win. Don’t just try and play it safe. That’s what he’s going to have to do. He’s going to have to make himself uncomfortable.
“He’s going to have to put himself in an uncomfortable situation to really win to even give himself a chance to win. If he doesn’t do that, I think Devin is going to win easy.
“He’s the smaller guy; he’s going to have to take more risks. We know that Devin is going to box from the outside, use his range, and his distance, and he’s a master at that.” Mayweather added.
Haney vs Stevenson
Jeff thinks that Devin Haney will fight Shakur Stevenson next, no matter what, as long as he wins. He also thinks that Tank Davis is not on Devin’s mind at the moment.
“I think that’s a high possibility, but as long as Devin wins, I think Devin has made up his mind that he’s fighting Shakur Stevenson, no matter what, as long as he wins,” said Jeff.