On Saturday night, undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney (29-0) will put his titles on the line against Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2) in one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

Haney is a sizable -280 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook with Lomachenko the +230 underdog.

Bettors can get the fight ending in a draw at 20/1. 

Haney is ranked as the world’s top active lightweight by virtually every media outlet heading into this fight for good reason.

The super-quick Haney has won all 29 bouts by either stoppage or unanimous decision with three-weight title holder Jorge Linares being the only opponent to give him a competitive fight.

Lomachenko was once considered by many as the pound-for-pound king until a unanimous decision loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2020.

He has rebounded from that defeat with three straight wins. 

This is a fascinating matchup between two guys who both excel at speed, footwork, head movement and counter punching.

It should be a heck of a chess match and while it may appear on the surface that there is value with Lomachenko at +230, tread lightly. 

When focused, Haney might be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet right now.

He ranks sixth in that category by World Boxing News with Lomachenko coming in 15th.

Haney’s style is similar to that of Floyd Mayweather where he’s tough to hit and racks up points on well-timed counter punches. 

I think the way to attack this fight is by betting method of victory.

Haney is -175 to win by points or decision.

Nevertheless, odds for the fight to go all 12 rounds are a whopping -450.

So oddsmakers believe that Haney is the clear favorite and they don’t think the fight will end in a stoppage.

Haney winning the bout by decision is a very likely outcome on Saturday night, so there is actually a little value laying -175. 

Lomachenko has fought tougher competition but the southpaw is now 35 years old.

He’s extremely smart and his experience certainly will test Haney.

Still, Haney is the more gifted fighter right now and he comes in 11 years younger with a 5.5-inch reach advantage.

That could be a big factor because Lomachenko’s path to victory is to get inside and frustrate his younger opponent.

The more likely scenario though is Haney using his quickness and reach advantages to keep Lomachenko on the outside while racking up points through 12 rounds. 

This is a massive fight for Haney.

Lomachenko is his toughest test to date and a win over the one-time lightweight king will put Haney on another level.

It won’t be easy.

Lomachenko is one of the smartest fighters in the world, but I have to side with the bigger, stronger, younger champion. 

I agree with the oddsmakers and expect this fight to go the distance with Haney winning a decision.

I’ll lay the -175 and as always, I don’t mind throwing a few bucks on a draw at 20/1 because in boxing, you never know how judges will score a fight.