Social boxing authors Craig Scott and John Angus MacDonald went head-to-head with this weekend’s undisputed lightweight world championship showdown between George Kambosos Jr and Devin Haney.
Haney 27-0 was the bookies’ favorite, but Kambosos (20-0) mocked himself as an underdog to Teofimo Lopez and confidently added the US WBC belt to his WBA Super, IBF and WBO belts. he. Boxing Social went head-to-head with two of our top writers to debate the outcome.
Who will be proven right? Only time will tell!
Craig Scott: There’s too much going against Haney here for me to confidently pick a win over Kambosos at home…
Yes, we’re a bit fed up with the saying ‘get rich out of rags, if I can do it, ANYONE can do’, but real Australians never stand a chance on the way up mine. I couldn’t get paid to choose him over Teofimo Lopez who was on top of the world when beat Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Haney is skilled, uses magic beautifully, and has a classier look than most of his opponents. But he needs some time and space to function. Kambosos wouldn’t even give it to him. He will find a way to strangle Haney traveling, suffocate him, bully him into a state of confusion, and negate his slippery, smooth combinations.
One thing that we know Kambosos has in abundance is hearts. Will. Determination. He would happily step through Haney’s punches just to stamp his authority on the young champion. It doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to look outstanding.
Haney finds himself on the opposite side of the planet, without his father and coach, without his core team, and with a new promotional outfit running the event. He was used to the comforts of home and golden boy status. Not this time.
I think Kambosos will win decisively in a fight where – potentially – he’s not the most effective fighter. But I could see his raw, relentless pressure wowing the judges, while Haney’s cleaner work could go unnoticed… Kambosos decided. Another big W below.
John Angus MacDonald: Kambosos’ win over Teofimo Lopez was one of last year’s biggest defeats. Sadly for Australians, history tells us that the men who have racked up shocking victories have often struggled to replicate the form displayed in their glory days.
Kambosos’ ”Little Engine That Could” shtick will run out of stock this weekend.
Yes, the world’s undisputed lightweight champion holds every advantage, but that doesn’t seem to matter. Yes, we saw in the Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn showdown that Australia isn’t the easiest place in the world for an away boxer to make a decision, but Pacquiao’s willingness to participate presented an opportunity. for the referees to award ‘The Hornet’s’ ineffective Aggression.
Haney could hardly make that mistake. The American games are often like the prosecuting sessions, that is, the control he gains over the course of the proceedings. Kambosos can try to pressure all he wants, but Haney is too slippery. He always has a way out.
The man in the corner only really matters if things don’t go his way. So far, things are mostly on track with ‘The Dream’. You can have a PE teacher in the corner and I still like Haney.
I’ll pick Haney by decision, with at least one terrible card, for good measure.
