Vasyl Lomachenko says he gave Devin Haney a costly 12th round via a controversial decision loss
Asylum Lomachenko admits he relaxed the game in the final round of his controversial unanimous decision loss to Devin Haney on Saturday night.
“The Dream” defended his undisputed lightweight title in Las Vegas after a thrilling contest at the MGM Grand Arena.
Haney bounced back from some difficult rounds in the tenth and eleventh rounds and ended the game with a strong finish for three minutes to go 30-0.
The three ringside referees gave the 24-year-old the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 despite a brave performance from the Ukrainian.
Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas was angered by the result and said he would appeal the decision.
Prominent voices from Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson, seemingly the most entertaining branch of boxing, publicly declared that the 35-year-old should have won the fight, and the result was met with boos from the audience.
In a post-fight press conference, Lomachenko admitted he felt he had done enough to win, duly winning the final round.
“[I thought] Maybe I can give him that round,” he said.
“I don’t need to win this round because I won the other 11 rounds. I won’t say every lap, but during the laps it was mine.
“I don’t know, maybe I don’t understand boxing.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/boxing/vasyl-lomachenko-devin-haney-appeal-boxing-2023-b1082708.html Vasyl Lomachenko says he gave Devin Haney a costly 12th round via a controversial decision loss
