By: Hans Themistode
From the moment Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez was made, promoter Eddie Hearn believed that their contest would be one way traffic.
It was never meant to be a slight to the boxing ability of Lopez, but more so a compliment to how great of a fighter Lomachenko is. Yet, following a timid first half, the former three division world titlist found himself digging out of a major hole during the second half of their contest. Despite his rally, his efforts were not rewarded as he lost via unanimous decision.
Even with their contest taking place several weeks ago, Hearn can’t help but poke fun at himself over his prediction.
“I rate Lomachenko so highly,” said Hearn during a recent Zoom press conference. “I think he’s a great fighter. I gave a great prediction for that Lomachenko vs Lopez fight when I said Lomachenko would win every round. How wrong was I? I woke up on Sunday and checked my phone and couldn’t believe what I saw.”
Although Hearn gives Lopez all of the credit in the world, apart of him believes that his fighter in WBC lightweight belt holder Devin Haney missed the boat. Before Lopez vs Lomachenko was ever signed, the 21 year old and his promoter threw their name into the mix for a possible showdown.
In September of 2019, Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) ran over Zaur Abdullaev to the tune of a fourth round stoppage win. The victory netted the Las Vegas, resident the WBC interim title and placed him at the head of the line for a shot at Lomachenko.
Those dreams however, were immediately crushed as President of the WBC Mauricio Sulaiman pushed Lomachenko to Franchise status. As a result, Haney was subsequently made full champion.
For Hearn, he never wanted his fighter to win his world title that way. So while he gives a round of applause to team Lopez for what they were able to accomplish, he firmly believes that Haney would have done the exact same.
“Bill Haney and Devin Haney believed that they were the one’s that could beat Lomachenko. It’s easy for me now to say yeah Devin would have done exactly what Teofimo did but on that night, I think for sure Devin Haney would have beaten Vasiliy Lomachenko.”