Kambosos vs Haney Preview
A fight for the undisputed lightweight title is going down Saturday June 4th in Melbourne, Australia. WBA, IBF and WBO champion George Kambosos will defend his belts and fight Devin Haney for his WBC belt. The winner will be crowned undisputed champion of the lightweight division.
Kambosos (20-0. 10 KO) will have the added pressure or advantage of fighting in his backyard of Australia. He became champion after his last fight in November where he won a razor thin split decision over Teofimo Lopez. The fight was one of the best fights of 2021 seeing Kambosos drop Lopez in the first round and surviving a knockdown in the 10th round. With the fight Kambosos proved that he is a fighter who knows how to fight smart when he is pulled into deep waters.
The 28-year-old will have to bring the same type of resolve into the ring on Saturday as the bad blood between he and Haney has hit a breaking point. Kambosos has responded to comments Haney made in 2020 about how he would never lose to a white man. Kambosos responded by saying, “I have been made aware of those racial comments he made and to suggest he would never lose to a white man just sums up the type of person he is,” Kambosos said.
The Australian went on to say, "It's below the belt. It's disrespectful to humanity, to all Australians and to white people around the world.”
“One thing about me, I can talk the talk, but I am always respectful of people regardless of race, religion, colour or creed. 'I have some African-American friends and they are among the most beautiful people in the world.”
As far as the comments being fuel for the fight, “If he wants to bring race into it, that's on him and he has to look at himself in the mirror and take responsibility for what he said and live with it.”
“If he thinks no white man will beat him, well I am going to punch his head in on Sunday and maybe then he will get an appreciation for my ability.”
An additional beef has been brought to the surface leading up to this fight as Kambosos claims that Haney reached out to him before his fight with Lopez offering information that would help him win the fight. "I really don't know how they let this guy into the country, to be honest," Kambasos Jr said. "I don't think they let informants into the country.
"This guy is an informant, this guy is a rat and I'll tell you why: The Teofimo Lopez fight with a foreigner against his own countryman, he was messaging me telling me all the details.
The champion concluded, "This is a rat, this is a sneaky informant, and you know what? This is your own countryman you're going
behind his back.”
"So, you know what? On Sunday, I'm going to whip your a** and when you're back in Las Vegas, you'll be on the lookout for Teofimo Lopez because he'll be looking for you too."
Regardless of trash talk and accusations, Haney represents Kambosos’ chance to let the world know that his win over Lopez was not a fluke. It will be hard to deny him as the best lightweight in the world if he is the reigning undisputed champion.
Haney (27-0, 15 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Joseph Diaz in December to defend his WBC lightweight belt for the fourth time. At 23 years old he has already built up an impressive championship resume and like Kambosos has the chance to solidify his spot as the best lightweight in the world on Saturday.
The San Francisco native became a champion at 20 years old and believes he is on a different level than Kambosos. "He's nothing but an actor," Haney said. "He's putting on an act, a facade, but at the end of the day I take nothing away from him. I have respect for him, I look forward to sharing a ring with him and putting on a good fight for the fans.
"There's nothing he can do in the ring that's better than me and I will show it on fight night. I take nothing away from him, I think he's a good fighter, but I think I'm on a different level."
Not only will Haney have the disadvantage of fighting in Australia, but he will also be heading into this fight without his father and trainer Bill Haney who was denied a visa and entry into Australia. Instead he will have Yoel Judah in his corner who is the father and trainer of former champion Zab Judah.
"My dad has been coaching me from the phone as much as he can, but at the end of the day me and Yoel have been getting our chemistry together and doing our thing together," Haney said. "Everything has been going great, it's okay my dad can't make it and I feel ready.
He went on to say, "Things have definitely been different without my father here, but the show must go on. This is a dream of mine [to fight for the undisputed crown] and I wasn't going to turn it down.
"My dad installed the right things into me and I'm ready, and on fight night I'll show it. My father isn't here, but I'm leaving with those belts."
Aside from Diaz, Haney has key victories in his career over Jorge Linares and Yuriorkis Gamboa. A win on Saturday would be the biggest of his career and he would have the attention of the entire boxing community by defeating a fighter who shocked the world less than a year ago.
The biggest question for both fighters should either of them become undisputed champion is, who is next?
