March 21, 2022
Source: BLH
Photo Source: Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Talks between the two parties had previously fizzled out over financial concerns
Last week, Dan Rafael shared the story of how Vasiliy Lomachenko, despite being outside Ukraine and thus exempt from compulsory military service, willingly returned to his home country to defend against the ongoing Russian invasion. Though there were rumblings of his team seeking permission to leave and prepare for a near-finalized June 5th clash with undisputed* champ George Kambosos Jr., Lou DiBella tells ESPN that Lomachenko’s team has confirmed that he’s staying. As a result, WBC champion Devin Haney “has been offered” the chance to take Lomachenko’s place.
Negotiations for the matchup already broke down earlier this year, with Chris Mannix reporting that the relevant parties “struggled to come up with a financial package” that was to Haney’s (27-0, 15 KO) liking. This opened the door for Lomachenko, but it’s now open for “The Dream” once again, and with a little more leverage to boot.
Kambosos (20-0, 10 KO) vs. Haney is still a very strong matchup and would do us all the favor of merging the WBC’s idiotic “franchise” title with the standard one; the thing wasn’t supposed to ever change hands, meaning it’s now simply a WBA-ish “super” belt. We’ll see how this latest round of talks pan out. Also, I’m sure you’ve all had enough of overwrought diatribes at this point, so all I’ll say is that I respect the absolute hell out of Lomachenko for turning down a career-high payday to protect his country.
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