Lomachenko was scheduled to attempt to regain three of the titles last year in Australia against then-champion George Kambosos but was forced to withdraw as he chose to stay in his home country Ukraine in that country's war against Russia.
Haney, who held the WBC title, stepped in and would travel to Australia twice to win the title from Kambosos and then defeat him in the contractually obligated rematch.
For all of the skill and talent of Lomachenko and his wins over good opposition, in his two losses, he showed a tendency to give too much respect to his opponents as he was bullied in a split decision loss to Orlando Salido in a fight that he would have won had Salido been deducted points for the many fouls that he committed, and in a slow start against Teofimo Lopez where Lomachenko gave away the first half of the fight with surprising meekness.
Lomachenko will need to start faster against the younger and naturally larger Haney, who hasn't shown many flaws in his career although he was hurt in the late rounds of his win over Jorge Linares.
This is a legacy-defining fight for both men.
For Haney, Lomachenko is the best fighter he's ever fought and he could answer the questions of some about whether is he a very good fighter but not a great one and perhaps answer the questions of his power punching as well.
For Lomachenko, a win over Haney would be his best as a pro, although his triumph over Gary Russell may also have consideration for that honor, and he would end the mild criticism of his career having been filled with wins over good fighters but lacking a great win.
I've been back and forth on my selection and I really can see scenarios for each fighter that are realistic for victory.
Due to time constraints, I won't be previewing the other three fights on the card for the challenge but it's an excellent evening from Top Rank on paper and I'm looking forward to seeing what unfolds!
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