Veteran boxing manager Egis Klimas thinks there needs to be more respect afforded to Vasiliy Lomachenko, in light of how his former adversaries have fared recently.

In a recent interview, Klimas, the longtime manager of decorated three-division titlist Lomachenko of Ukraine, said the recent wins by former lightweight champions Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney over reigning 140-pound champions should be further evidence of Lomachenko’s sui generis talent.

The southpaw Lomachenko dropped unanimous decisions to Lopez in 2020 and Haney last year. Lopez, a former unified lightweight champion, moved up to the 140-pound division in 2022; last year he comprehensively defeated Josh Taylor, the then WBO 140-pound titlist.

A former undisputed lightweight champion, Haney, who defeated Lomachenko last May, moved up to the 140-pound division for the first time in his career in December, dominating then WBC 140-pound champion Regis Prograis en route to a wide unanimous decision.

“In my personal view he beat Teofimo Lopez at 135,” Klimas said of his ace client in an interview with Boxing News. “He won that fight. The judges screwed him in that fight. In 135, he definitely beat Devin Haney. There is no doubt. Many people said that. We said that. The judges ate him up again.

“What does it say about the man, two of the guys at 135 couldn’t do nothing to Loma. Loma [beat] both of them. Look what Lopez did at 140 with Josh Taylor. Look at what Haney did to Prograis at 140. What does that mean? That even at the bigger weight class they competed and beat these champions at 140, but they couldn’t do anything with Loma at 135. What does that [say] about Loma.”

Klimas rejected the idea of Lomachenko fighting 140 or dropping back down to 130 anytime soon. Lomachenko is set to take on George Kambosos for the vacant IBF 135-pound championship on May 12 in Perth, Australia.

“He’s forcing himself to make 135,” Klimas said. “140 what are we talking about? He will never go down to 130 because he already [reached] his limit. He couldn’t get anything at 130, [he said], ‘I’m coming to 135.’ So now he’s staying at 135.

“I asked him, ‘Why don’t we go back down to 130, we’ll kill the division. You’ll become undisputed in a second in 130.’ He said, ‘No, I already pushed myself to be at 135. How will it be now for me to go back down to 130? I am here. I need to prove myself here.’”

Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.