Undisputed 135-pound champion Devin Haney made an otherwise uneventful weigh-in Friday interesting when he gave Vasiliy Lomachenko a heavyweight shove.
Haney was trash talking in Lomachenko’s face during the stare down when he lifted his hands and pushed the challenger, who stumbled backward.
That was the last time they’ll be face to face before the pay-per-view fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Haney and Lomachenko came in at almost the same weight. The champion weighed 134.9 (,1 below the division limit), the challenger at exactly 135.0.
However, one striking aspect of the weigh-in — aside from the shove — was the obvious fact that Haney is a naturally bigger man than Lomachenko.
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) has fought his entire career at 135 or slightly above. Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) started his career at 126 and has worked his way up, winning major titles in three divisions along the way.
Haney won all four major lightweight belts when he easily outpointed George Kambosos Jr. last June in Australia, Kambosos’ home country. He did it again in the October rematch, also down under.
Lomachenko has won three consecutive fights since he lost his 135-pound belts to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020, after which he had surgery on his injured right shoulder.
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