Promoter Bob Arum has no doubt that boxing fans will be treated to a significant lightweight title fight early next year.
Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney is headed toward a second defense of his belts against three-division Ukrainian titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko. The fight was in the works ever since Haney signed with Arum’s Top Rank earlier this summer in order to get the nod to face then unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. Haney would go on to outpoint Kambosos, in June, by unanimous decision and then do it again four months later in the contractually-mandated rematch.
But trouble seemed to be brewing recently between Top Rank and Haney after Haney publicly slagged his promoter for appearing to favor Lomachenko. Haney went after Top Rank because it appeared the company was trying to stage the fight in May, which Haney insisted was disadvantageous to him because Haney, a Muslim, would be preoccupied with the Ramadan holiday for most of March and April. Ramadan involves prayer and fasting, the latter of which would not be ideal for a fighter getting ready for a fight, especially against an opponent of Lomachenko’s caliber. Haney said he was pushing for the Lomachenko fight to happen before March.
In a recent interview, Arum said he had a positive luncheon with Haney and his manager/trainer/father Bill in Las Vegas, presumably to clear up their misunderstanding.
“His next fight will be with Lomachenko,” Arum told Boxing Social. “We are working out the date and the site right now. But that’s his next fight. Devin win or lose is going to be a big, big factor in the sport of boxing. A terrific young man. A very very good fighter. I like the way he carries himself. I like the way he fights. And with lomachenko he’s in with the master. So that will be a very interesting fight.
“Devin has a lot of confidence in himself,” Arum continued. “And rightly so. And so does his father. He’s highly intelligent. A terrific young man and I like that when a fighter is confident in his abilities and is ready to take on everybody.”