Roy Jones Jr believes that undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney and Vasily Lomachenko should have a rematch to clarify the controversy surrounding their fight last Saturday night. He thought that a draw would have been a fair result. However, Lomachenko has handed Haney a twelve-round unanimous decision win as scored by the three Nevada judges.
Jones Jr acknowledged that Lomachenko was at fault for not taking the belt from Haney by taking his foot off the accelerator in the twelfth round and gifting it to the champion. Given Lomachenko’s considerable amateur experience, he should have known better.
However, Haney is unlikely to offer Lomachenko a rematch because he is looking for high-paying fights, and a Lomachenko rematch is too risky after the tough fight he had with him. Haney’s potential opponents include Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, and the winner of the Josh Taylor versus Teofimo Lopez fight. The two boxers he is not expected to fight next are Shakur Stevenson and Lomachenko as they both pose significant risks.
Jones Jr said, “Because there’s so much controversy, these guys should not move. Let’s keep boxing going while it’s going. Because of the controversy, everyone will want to see it again. That calls for a great pay-per-view fight. That boxing is all about.” He added that effective punches count, although body shots might not look impressive because the head is not involved.
Haney dominated the first half of the fight, and Lomachenko dominated the second part of the fight. Haney came back in the last round to seal his win. Lomachenko would have won the fight if he had a twelfth round like the eleventh round but unfortunately, he lost the last round. Jones Jr believes that a draw would have been the most appropriate result. However, he is not disappointed with Haney’s victory because he was the champ, and to beat the champ, you have to take his belt.
Jones Jr also believes that the fight with Lomachenko has made Haney a better fighter, and if they fight again, Haney will hold the advantage due to his size and experience. Jones Jr went on to say that Haney has defied the odds every time, and he deserves to be on the pound-for-pound list.