Vasiliy Lomachenko is not about to lose any sleep over a rematch he believes he will never get.

The three-division titlist from Ukraine attempted to become the undisputed champion of the lightweight division earlier this month when he challenged champion Devin Haney for his four 135-pound belts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Lomachenko came up short, however, as their highly competitive 12-round bout ended with Haney winning a close unanimous decision. The result prompted a major outcry among some viewers, who felt Lomachenko deserved the nod. The scores were 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.

Asked recently if he believes Haney will entertain the idea of a rematch, Lomachenko shot down that possibility.

“I think it never happens,” Lomachenko said of the rematch in an interview with ESNews. “I think it never happens because I think they are scared. I [don’t] think, I am sure. He is scared. He understands he [lost] the fight. His father understands what happened.”

Lomachenko referenced some things that Haney and his father discussed during a break late in the fight that Lomachenko construed as a sign of desperation. A camera caught a visibly distressed Haney trying to figure out how to avoid Lomachenko’s left hands.

Lomachenko also addressed criticism that he took the 12th round off. All three judges scored the final round for Haney. In the post-fight press conference, Lomachenko admitted that he coasted in the 12th round—but only because he believed he had secured enough rounds for a decision.  

“You and all people saw what he said after nine rounds in the corner,” Lomachenko said. “A lot of people talking about 12th round, [that] I lose this round, but I don’t need to win this round. I understand I [won] this fight, I won a lot of rounds. I just keep my conditioning. I just keep my score and finish the fight. After 12 rounds, I was sure I won this fight. I was very happy.”

Lomachenko argued that it would behoove Haney to consider a rematch, given Haney’s pre-fight declarations about securing his legacy.

“If I was in a situation like Haney, right now—he was talking about legacy before the fight. But if you want a legacy, you need to make a rematch. You need to make a rematch. But it’s all in his hands. This rematch [depends] on him, not me. I sleep very good because I understand [who really won].

“You need to be a strong man, inside. If you’re really a strong man inside, then you need to organize a rematch. But I think it never happens.”

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