LAS VEGAS –If this was chess, TheGrandMaster got robbed.
That at least, was the verdict from an angry crowd that booed a unanimous decision handed down by three judges in favor of Devin Haney over Vasiliy Lomachenko Saturday night in a contentious pay-per-view fight for the undisputed title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The chants of Loma, Loma quickly turned to boos when the scorecards were announced. It was 115-113, 116-112, 115-113, all for Haney. On the 15 Rounds card, it was 116-112 for Lomachenko.
The outrage reflects what was a tough fight to score. It also proved that boxing isn’t chess. It’s subjective.
Checkmate only happens on a game board.
On the canvas, just about anything can happen.
And it did throughout Haney-Lomachenko in a bout that included more subtle twists and turns than anything wild. To wit: There were no decisive knockdowns. There was just a lot of footwork and counters.
In the beginning the subtlety seemed to belong to Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs), who appeared to dictate pace while landing purposeful jabs. Early on, it looked as if Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) was confused. Slowly and subtly, however, the momentum appeared to shift, slowly towards Haney, who seemed to control the center of the ring with superior size and strength. He was beginning to land body punches.
From their ringside seats, the judges saw what fans in the upper deck didn’t. Haney was scoring, but not enough to convince those fans or Lomachenko.
“I don’t want to talk about [the decision].” Lomachenko said. “All the people saw what happened today. I think I showed that I can still be in boxing. I’m in good shape now. And see you next time.”
“I can’t talk about this right now. It’s not a comfortable moment for me. Thank you to everyone who came. 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.”
Haney, of course saw it differently. He believes his destiny is to be the very best, pound-for-pound. He was modest about his decision over Lomahenko. He heard the boos, too. But he also believed his destiny was still there, still intact.
“He’s a crafty fighter,” Haney said. “He turns it up in the championship rounds. I just have to take my hat off to him. He’s a great fighter.
“This is all experience. Me and my team are going to go back to the house, watch the fight and reflect on it. I’ve been at 135 (lightweight) for a long, long time.
“This is my 30th fight. I’ve been here at 135 since I was 16 years old. We’re going to go back to the lab and figure out what’s next.”
Oscar Valdez back with unanimous decision
Oscar Valdez Jr. was back, back to rediscover himself.
Mission accomplished.
Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) did it Saturday night in a rematch against Adam Lopez, who knocked him down and might have left him with some hard questions a couple of years ago.
He’ll never erase the knockdown. But he answered some of the questions with a solid performance in winning a 98-92, 98-91, 97-93 decision over Lopez in a fight before the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Devin Haney rematch at the MGM Grand.
It wasn;t always easy. Then again, it never is for the resilient Valdez, who was fighting for the first time since Shakur Stevenson beat him badly 13 months ago.
Above all, his victory over Lopez was a sure sign that Valdez is still a contender at junior-lightweight. In beating Lopez, he resurrected the possibility of an intrigving bout with fellow Mexican Emanuel Navarrete.
An earlier date with Navarrete in Glendale at Desert Diamond Arena near Phoenix was put on hold because Valdez hurt his ribs in a fall down some stairs. But the possibility is back on. Now, Top Rank is looking to stage Valdez-Navarrete in August.
A re-energized Valdez was there Saturday in the opening rounds. There was some familiar power in his left hand. There was also a precise, purposeful jab. He put Lopez on his back foot, the first step in an early retreat.
But the younger Lopez flashed some of his aggression, stepping forward midway through the third and again late in the fourth with punches powerful enough for Valdez to be wary. Valdez continued to move forward. But he had to be careful that he wasn’t moving into a trap. Lopez appeared to gain some momentum in the fourth and again in the fifth. But it slowed when Valdez landed a couple of stinging left hands.
In the sixth, Lopez began to move, side to side. Back and forth. Always on his toes. It was a dance that forced the older Valdez into a chase. Catch me, if you can. In the sixth, Valdez could not.
In the seventh and eighth, Lopez ( 16-5, 6 KOs) continued to move his feet. It was elusive and – at times — effective. Yet it seemed to frustrate only the Valdez fans, many of whom had traveled to Vegas from his Mexican hometown, Nogales, south of Tucson . They chanted: “Oscar, Oscar.” They also booed Lopez. All the while, Valdez, true to the bulldog-like tattoo on his chest, moved forward, ever forward.
In the tenth and final rounds, Valdez’ stubborn patience paid off. He took the spring out of Lopez’s feet, rocking him repeatedly with left hands. Both fighters tripped and tumbled onto the canvas like pro wrestlers once. Then, Lopez slipped, apparently tripping over his own feet.
In the end, only Valdez was still standing, a winner for the 31st time in a long career
Raymond Muratalia wins 2nd-round TKO
Raymond Muratalia talked about delivering a statement.
He did.
He delivered a couple of them.
First, he blew away Jeremia Nakathila within two rounds, a quick TKO that helped support his stated claim on being among the best lightweights.
Then, he stated he wanted the winner of the fight that was about to happen between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko for the undisputed title Saturday night at the MGM Garden Garden Arena.
“I think I sent a big message to the lightweight division,” Muratalia (18-0, 15 KOs) said. “Nobody has ever stopped Nakathila. I just stopped him in the second round. I think that’s a huge statement.”
“I want the winner of the main event, That’s who I want.”
Nakathila (23-3, 19 KOs), of Namibia, never had much of a chance against the fighter from Fresno, Calif., who trapped him in the corner midway through the second round and unleashed a succession of blows, Referee Robert Hall stepped in and ended it at 2:46 of the round.
Junto Nakatani delivers scary KO
In the beginning, it was one sided. In the end, it was scary.
From start to finish, Junto Nakatani controlled all of it, knocking down Andrew Moloney in the second round, breaking him down with almost clinical efficiency in the middle rounds, flooring him again in the eleventh and then finishing him in the twelfth with punch that left the Aussie flat on his back for several perilous moments.
Moloney never had a chance in a title fight featured on the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko card Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But he had plenty of courage, enough to endanger him against the proficient Nakatani (25-0,19 KOs), the World Boxing Organization’s new junior-bantamweight champion.
The finishing blow was set up by a couple of glancing right hands from Nakatani. He ducked once, then landed a glancing right. He ducked again, landing another. Moloney (26-3, 16 KOs) dropped his hands, leaned forward and directly into an incoming left. It looked as if he was unconscious before he hit the canvas and rolled flat onto his back.
He stayed there motionless until he was helped onto a stool, looking as if he had no clue where he was. Then, there was a glimmer of recognition He was helped to his feet. The crowd applauded. Then, cheered. Then, exhaled in relief.
Rosenberger fights Al Walsh to standstill in split draw
Daniel Rosenberger knows the name. Knows what it means. Ali is boxing royalty.
But for eight rounds he wouldn’t be intimidated by the name and all it represents.
Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, was just another fighter to Rosenberger and a growing crowd of fans on the Vasiliy Lomachenko–Devin Haney undercard Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Rosenberger (13-9-5, 4 KOs) a middleweight from Youngstown Ohio, fought Ali Walsh to a standstill — a split draw. A debatable one, too.
In his nine-fight career, it was the first blemish on Ali Walsh’s career. But the blemish could have been worse. It could have been a loss. Ali Walsh (8-0-1, 5 KOs), of Las Vegas, mounted an aggressive assault in the middle rounds. But he appeared to tire over the last two. That’s when Rosenberger backed him up and rocked him, but apparently not often enough to gain an edge on the cards.
Emiliano Vargas wins second-round TKO
It was quick. It was efficient. Lethal, too.
Emiliano Vargas (5-0, 3 KOs), an unbeaten lightweight and the son of ex-welterweight great Fernando Vargas, threw two right hands and then unloaded a looping left that crashed onto Rafael Juno’s midsection.
Juno (3-1, 1 KO, of Houston, winced, then collapsed onto his side, beaten at 1:41 of the second round in the fourth bout on the Loma-Haney card.
Floyd Diaz wins debatable decision
Luis Fernando Saavedra (9-9, 3 KOs) challenged Diaz (9-0, 3 KOs) throughout eight rounds and appeared to beat him over several of those rounds, despite one-sided cards. The judges had 80-72, 79-73 80-72, all for Diaz of Las Vegas
But the judging didn’t account for Saavedra’s aggressiveness throughout the third fight on the Loma-Haney card Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Round after round, he pursued and Diaz retreated into what was a debatable decision
Lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason aces to an 8-0 record
Lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason has raced through his brief career, making it look easy.
That didn’t change Saturday in the second fight on a card featuring Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
For five rounds, Mason (8-0, 7 KOs), of Cleveland, scored at will against Desmond Lyons (8-3-, 2 KOs) of South Carolina. Then in the sixth, Lyons kicked it into another gear, unloading a succession of shots at a blinding rate that left Lyons defenseless and finished at 32 seconds of the round.
Middleweight prospect Amari Jones scores impressive TKO
It was first bell, a good time to say hello.
Middleweight prospect Amari Jones (9-0, 8 KOs) did, capitalizing on the opportunity with a thorough display of his versatility, power and speed in a sixth-round TKO of Chino Hill (8-3-1, 6 KOs) in the opening bout on the card featuring Devin Haney-versus-Vasiliy Lomachenko Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Jones, of Oakland CA, rocked Hill, of Davenport Iowa, with repeated right hands through the five rounds. In the sixth and final round, Jones, a Haney stablemate, went southpaw, finishing Hill with a multiple-punch combination. Referee Mike Ortega ended it at 1:16 of the round.