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 af꧟ter 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 Ga💞rden Arena in Lﷺas 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 t😼ime.” ;
Lomachenko has won titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight, and was the unified WBA and WBO lightweig𝐆ht champion when he fought Teofimo Lopez in 2020.
In a bid to add Lopez’s IBF belt to hiꩲs collection and bring himself one step away from an undisputed fight, Lomachenko fell to Lo🐭pez by unanimous decision.
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’s𝔉 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 Kambo🗹sos.
𝕴Since Haney owned the WBC belt, the bout was for the undisputed croജwn.
Haney won via unanimous decision, and after d💟efending his new undisputed title against Kambos𓆉os in a rematch, he’s come full circle.
He now puts his tiဣtles on the line against the man who gave him the opportunity to capture the🍰m.
“This is motivation,” Lomachenko saidꦅ. “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. 𓆉And this is motivation, this has pushed me.”
Lomachenko, 35, enters the bout at a far different place in his career than the 💟24-year-old Haney.
Once the king oꦅf the lightweights, Lomachenko now has perhaps one of his fi🍎nal 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.&nbsౠp;
While youthful stars – Shakur Stevenﷺson and Gervonta Davis loom for the winner – take over the li🤪ghtweight 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 th🃏e division’s hierarchy as the undisputed champion.
Lomachenko is𝄹n’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 careeওr punching towards.
“I have a few different styles,” Lomachenko said. “This wi𝓰ll make for a very interesting fight. He is very smart, he’s very sleek, he has tꦆhe 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 ꦏprove yourself in the ring. Everybody can talk about themself, ‘I am the best, I am th🐭e best.’ But it’s not always right. May 20, I want to prove who I am, show who I am in boxing.”
