In a hotly contested matchup at the MGM Grand Garden, Devin Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion, managed to retain his titles. However, the victory was marred by controversy as former three-division champion Vasyl Lomachenko‘s camp planned to appeal the decision. The early rounds saw both fighters displaying aggression, with Haney leveraging his length and strength while working off his back foot. Meanwhile, Lomachenko consistently targeted the champion with a potent left hand to the head.

As the fight progressed, the momentum shifted, with the experienced Lomachenko punishing the 24-year-old Haney. Notably, Lomachenko showcased his prowess in the powerful ninth round, exploiting the champion’s fatigue and raising questions about the final decision. Even famous Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith questioned the decision, which got him some rage from Devin Haney himself. And recently, he confronted him about the same.

Stephen A. Smith develops an amicable relationship with Devin Haney

After the fight, Haney received a lot of backlash for winning the fight via a unanimous decision. At that point, even Stephen A. Smith voiced his thoughts against the decision since he thought that the bout was too close to be announced as a unanimous decision. This statement did not sit well with Haney, and he posted a tweet, where that read, “Stephen A kiss my a**.”

Well, this was brought up in the recent interview by Stephen A. Smith, where he said, “You were mad at me I guess because I talked about how I thought the fight between you and Lomachenko was so close.” Later he also talked about how he thought Haney won the early rounds, while Loma earned the later rounds. Then Haney explained, “You can say that I look fatigued but at the end of the day I won the last round on all three judges’ scorecards.”

He continued, “If I didn’t win that last round, the fight would have been a draw.” Even in another interview, Devin Haney talked about how it’s really a mistake to brand his fight with Lomachenko as “robbery.”

Haney slams unfair post-fight grilling

While claims of the fight being a robbery are debatable, one undeniable aspect is its competitiveness. Devin Haney himself acknowledged the intense competition but firmly rejected the characterization of the bout as a robbery. According to Haney, boxing fans often tend to hastily make exaggerated claims that lack reason.

Speaking to DAZN, he said, “It was definitely a tough fight. It was my toughest fight, up to date, but it was a competitive fight. That is what people get confused about. They say competitive fights in boxing is a robbery. They mistake them for robberies. If it is a closed fight, it is not a robbery.”

So, Haney has kept his stance clear on his previous fight, as he looks forward to his match-up against Regis Prograis on December 9. While many still speculate him to have lost, Haney is at peace with himself about the fight. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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