Vasiliy Lomachenko, Devin Haney come full circle in undisputed title bout

It’s the one piece that has been missing from Vasiliy Lomachenko’s iconic resume. 

The one feat he’s yet to conquer, the one he’s now within punching distance of claiming after a brief setback. 

An undisputed title. 

In a bit of career irony, Lomachenko challenges undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney with all four belts on the line Saturday night from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as the main event of Top Rank’s card on ESPN PPV. 

“This is my goal, this is my dream [to be undisputed],” Lomachenko told The Post. “And now, it’s very, very close to me. We followed this dream, to this goal, for a very long time.” 

Lomachenko has won titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight, and was the unified WBA and WBO lightweight champion when he fought Teofimo Lopez in 2020. 

In a bid to add Lopez’s IBF belt to his collection and bring himself one step away from an undisputed fight, Lomachenko fell to Lopez by unanimous decision. 

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Instead of owning three of the division’s four belts, Lomachenko found himself at square one with none. 

In one of the upsets of the year, Lopez then lost to George Kambosos via unanimous decision in his unified title defense, making Kambosos the WBA, WBO and IBF unified lightweight champion. 

Lomachenko was then tabbed to challenge Kambosos for the unified title, but after agreeing to terms, Russia invaded Lomachenko’s native Ukraine. 

He forwent his claim to challenge Kambosos and instead returned to his homeland, helping in Ukraine’s war effort. 

In his place, Haney stepped up and got the opportunity to challenge Kambosos. 

Since Haney owned the WBC belt, the bout was for the undisputed crown. 

Haney won via unanimous decision, and after defending his new undisputed title against Kambosos in a rematch, he’s come full circle. 

He now puts his titles on the line against the man who gave him the opportunity to capture them. 

“This is motivation,” Lomachenko said. “This is why it’s pushed me, because it’s not easy. You can’t always capture your goal the first time and now I have a second chance. And this is motivation, this has pushed me.” 

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Lomachenko, 35, enters the bout at a far different place in his career than the 24-year-old Haney. 

Once the king of the lightweights, Lomachenko now has perhaps one of his final opportunities to wrestle his place back from his younger counterpart. 

In a battle of two high-IQ fighters known for their boxing skills over their knockout power, Lomachenko enters as an underdog, a rarity in his esteemed career. 

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While youthful stars – Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis loom for the winner – take over the lightweight division, Lomachenko can provide a stern reminder about who truly remains atop. 

Davis boasted that he’s the face of boxing after defeating Ryan Garcia last month, and Haney has claimed his place atop the division’s hierarchy as the undisputed champion. 

Lomachenko isn’t looking for a reminder, however — just the prize he’s long been waiting for. 

Either way, he can accomplish both on the stage he’s spent a career punching towards. 

“I have a few different styles,” Lomachenko said. “This will make for a very interesting fight. He is very smart, he’s very sleek, he has the speed, he has the reach. I have a different style. I have a different experience. That is why it will be very interesting.

“I don’t like it, just talking. I like to prove who you are. To prove yourself in the ring. Everybody can talk about themself, ‘I am the best, I am the best.’ But it’s not always right. May 20, I want to prove who I am, show who I am in boxing.”