Devin Haney emerged victorious against Vasiliy Lomachenko but found himself at the center of a controversy. The sport is familiar to debates and discussions around a fight’s outcome. And, this fight’s decision, in particular, has been criticized and called a “robbery” by certain boxing pundits and fans. Meanwhile, Teddy Atlas thinks Haney’s performance has not been given due credit. 

Atlas is a boxing trainer, commentator, and analyst. He has decades of experience in the sport and his insights are highly regarded by the boxing community. On his podcast, “THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas,”  he touched upon Haney’s performance amidst the controversy.

Teddy Atlas rates Devin Haney’s performance against Vasiliy Lomachenko

The boxing world was furious with the decision and many are demanding a rematch. However, Atlas stated that he was impressed by Haney’s performance in the last round of the fight after being ‘tested’ in the “10th and 11th”.

Reflecting on the same, he stated, “He has character, he has ‘it’ factor. And Haney was being tested in the 10th and 11th. And I’ll tell you, I am not alone. A lot of people were wondering if he was starting to crack. Would he crack? It was right there playing out. He comes back in the 12th round and he behaves, as I say, he behaves like a champion.”

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During the last few rounds besides that 12th, Lomachenko was getting the better of Haney and even had him hurt at one point. However, Haney showed his durability and will to compete which impressed Atlas. He added, “He knew how to fight like one, but we didn’t know if he could behave like a champion. When he is asked to behave like a champion, and he did, in the 12th round and he won the 12th round.”

Thereafter, Atlas reflected upon certain key factors that he observed regarding the fight. He stated, “I think there are certain key factors and X factors in this fight. One, obviously, the judge Moretti. Two, the 11th round, after dominant 10th round for Loma, coming back and he needed to come back I think he was behind.”

Read more: “It Will Never Happen”: Amid Controversy, Whether Devin Haney Should Follow Floyd Mayweather’s Footsteps Leaves Boxing World in Splits