21 May 2023 , 07:55
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Vasyl Lomachenko burst into tears in his dressing room after a controversial defeat to Devin Haney.
Ukrainian star Lomachenko challenged for the undisputed titles against champion Haney in Las Vegas as he looked to pick up the crown on foreign soil. Haney had yet to be beaten during his career in the lightweight division, and the challenger went into the contest as underdog despite his significant pedigree.
Lomachenko put on a brilliant display in the contest with many fans suggesting he had done enough to have his hand raised as new champion. However the judges elected to give Haney the nod by unanimous decision, with cards scored at 115-113,115-113 and a hugely contentious 116-112 card.
After the final bell, the challenger was left hugely deflated following the result and was pictured in his dressing room being consoled by his team. And the camera showed the 35-year-old bursting into tears having fallen narrowly short of the win, before he put a towel over his face to cover up his raw emotion.
Devin Haney vows to 'pick apart' Lomachenko and show world he is 'levels above'
And his emotional reaction carried into his post-fight interview where he reflected on the decision, and was unhappy with the scoring from the officials. “I don’t want to talk about this," he said in a brief assessment of the result. "All the people saw what happened today. Look, I think I showed I’m in good shape. See you next time. I can’t talk about this right now. It’s just, it’s not a comfortable moment for me."
He later assessed the performance in a different light at the post-fight press conference, adding: "I don’t want to talk about [the decision]. All the people saw what happened today. Before, I thought he would be better. He’s a tough fighter. He’s a good fighter. But he’s not a pound-for-pound fighter. I controlled the fight.
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"All fight I understand that I was winning the fight. So for me it’s a big surprise. 12 rounds and I was sure I won this fight. But it is what it is. I controlled every round. It is a big, big question what happened in the result today. I think I showed that I can still be in boxing. I’m in good shape now. And see you next time. Right now I want to go back home and support my country and support my Ukrainian orthodox church."
In contrast to Lomachenko's dejected reaction, Haney believes the result pays testament to his game plan which saw him retain his honours. “The body work is what won me the fight tonight,” he said. “I knew that I had to invest in that body. We watched a lot of tape on Loma and we knew that he wasn’t the biggest fan of body shots, so I stuck to the gameplan.
"I was definitely confident that I won the fight. I knew that it was a close fight, of course he won rounds. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy fight. I had to go through the fire to win.”