The clash between Ring Magazine lightweight champion Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko will take place on May 20. 

ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez was the first to break the news, while Bob Arum confirmed the news to Boxingscene’s Keith Idec on Saturday.

Now that a date has somewhat been finalized, the question remains about where the fight will take place. Multiple locations are being considered, says Arum.

“(The) fight is all agreed to and everything,” Arum told Boxingscene. “And the date is pretty much set, May 20. Now the issue is where it’s gonna be. Will it be in New York? Well, that’s a problem because of the Knicks and the Rangers, (Madison Square) Garden is holding dates (for NBA and NHL playoff games, respectively).

“Will it be in Las Vegas? Quite possibly. Or will it be in the Middle East, where they’re making overtures to do the fight? We’ll have an answer for you probably within 10 days. But there’s no question that the fight is on.”

Upon hearing the news regarding May 20, Haney took to social media and stated one venue is not an option.

“Not MSG .. stay tuned,” stated Haney.

Not MSG.. stay tuned 😤 https://t.co/XVAwHQQUNq

— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) January 14, 2023

The clash between Haney and Lomachenko has been in the works since Haney’s last fight, which was October 16, when Haney defeated George Kambosos by decision over 12 one-sided rounds. The fight was a rematch from their June 5 clash, which Haney won by unanimous decision and became the undisputed champion at 135 pounds, collecting Kambosos’ IBF, WBA and WBO world title belts.

Haney (29-0, 15 knockouts), who lives and trains in Las Vegas, is co-promoted by Arum and Lou DiBella. 

Lomachenko is ranked No. 1 by The Ring at 135 pounds. He was victorious in his last fight on October 22, shaking off ring-rust and an early deficit on the scorecards to defeat Jamaine Ortiz by unanimous decision. 

After his previous fight in December 2021, a unanimous decision victory over former IBF world lightweight titleholder Richard Commey, Lomachenko was scheduled to face Kambosos in June, but withdrew from the fight to enlist in the Ukraine army to in the wake of the invasion from Russia that began in February. 

The 34-year-old, who currently resides in Camarillo, California, has won world title belts in three different weight classes. Lomachenko has notable victories over Jose Pedraza, Jorge Linares, and Guillermo Rigondeaux. He has won his last three fights since losing to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020.

Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, is managed by Egis Klimas.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

Follow @FSalazarBoxing