Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney is all-in on next facing Vasiliy Lomachenko, but he’s already sending preemptive strikes toward another opponent in a new division. 

Haney and Lomachenko should meet sometime this spring, and if Haney defends his 135-pound titles, he could move up to 140 pounds immediately after. 

Haney has openly shared that it’s increasingly becoming more difficult to make the lightweight limit, a division the 24-year-old has competed in ever since turning pro in 2016.

A move to super lightweight would mean that a long-awaited clash against Teofimo Lopez Jr. could finally become a reality. 

“Ain’t no match yet. Might just come to 140 and f--- you up,” Haney recently stated to Lopez on Twitter in response to Lopez’s saying, “I got work to do here at 140. I pray you enjoyed your five minutes of fame!”

Haney twice beat former Lopez-conqueror George Kambosos Jr. in 2022. 

“Remember you chose Kambosos to whip your ass instead of me! Went in a different direction and it almost cost you your life. Gotta make smart choices,” said Haney. 

Following Lopez’s win against Lomachenko in Oct. 2020 until Lopez’s loss to Kambosos in Nov. 2021, Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) and Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) held all of the hardware at 135 pounds.

Back-and-forth barbs were incessantly traded, but a bout never came close to materializing.

Now that Lopez and Haney both fight under the Top Rank banner, there will be fewer hurdles to navigate moving forward, if the fight is ever going to happen. 

Lopez already has two fights under his belt in the super lightweight division. He scored a seventh-round knockout against Pedro Campa in August and a split decision against Sandor Martin in December. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.