As we close in on the May 20 lightweight title battle between undisputed champion Devin Haney and challenger Vasiliy Lomachenko, Top Rank promotes the fight by releasing its first full episode of Blood Sweat & Tears, focusing on behind the scenes footage of both fighters heading into the bout.
One interesting part of this episode is an early segment with Lomachenko, who admits to his own hubris in the past and says he’s dramatically changed his life around without letting his ego get the better of him.
“What happened in my life, I lose these three belts, I lose this fight (against Teofimo Lopez,” Lomachenko reflects. “But I win much more bigger than these three belts. For me it was very, very good and I understand it now. Now I start to live a second life like a different man. Before I was a man who want to take the world. Inside, my ego was very big. A lot of people didn’t see this but after this loss I saw myself. I started changing after this moment...maybe it was not my time.”
Soon thereafter we’re in the gym, following both Lomachenko and Haney as they put in the work in training camp to physically prepare themselves for the battle to come.
“When I set out to do this, I didn’t want to be mediocre, I didn’t want to be just another boxer, I want to be the best” Haney said. “I don’t fight for money, I fight for legacy. And that’s what separates me from all the fighters today, I don’t see fighters that fight for legacy, I see fighters that fight for clout, fight for money — they fight for the wrong things. But I’m a different kind of fighter, I’m a throwback fighter.”
After taking some time to focus back on Lomachenko, he takes us through his mindset as he temporarily left boxing to head back to his native Ukraine in order to defend his country from the Russian invasion. The way Lomachenko explains it, the need for him to aid his country was almost a existential crisis as he firmly believes the outcome can change the future of even his own immediate family.
Watch the full opening episode of behind the scenes footage in the video link above.
Loading comments...