By: Sean Crose
George Kambosos, usually a socialite, was quiet ahead of his rematch with Devin Haney, who took the lightweight titles from him last June. Haney, who had once again come to Kambosos’ native Australia to confront him, did not let the sound of silence bother him. “Great people find motivation in any way necessary,” he said FightHype in an interview. Kambosos was never expected to be a major force in lightweight, but he became the unified champion by stunning the then red-hot Teofimo Lopez in late 2021, thus for the world. know he is a man to be admired.
And in fact, Haney took into account Kambosos, in Kambosos’ hometown no less, when the two vie for the undisputed lightweight world championship last June. As much as Kambosos has outpaced Lopez, Haney has outstripped Kambosos. Needless to say, the fighting world is essentially expecting a re-enactment of the first battle when the two men answered the bell on Saturday at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. However, Haney doesn’t take his resolute card for granted. “It was a blessing to fight on that big stage,” he said of his first fight with Kambosos, “and I look forward to doing it again.”
Haney knew Kambosos was too smart a fighter to use a game plan that failed twice, so he was basically prepared for any eventuality Saturday. “I knew he was going to take a different approach,” Haney said of Kambosos, “a different game plan this time.” To be sure, Haney feels like Kambosos is sure to leave it all in the ring this weekend. “He was desperate,” Haney said. “He said if he didn’t win, he would retire. He is throwing the ball against the wall. “Besides, Haney is a fighter who always sees room for improvement. “We always felt it could get better,” he said. FightHype.
Provided Kambosos doesn’t stun the world on Saturday – and it’s worth noting that he’s said to have done so by beating Teofimo Lopez a few years ago – a huge and worthy roster of talent. attention may be waiting for Haney soon after. Whether it’s Vasyl Lomachenko, Ryan Garcia or Gervonta Davis, a duel with a top name can be just a deal. This is modern boxing, however, there is always the question of whether any of those contracts were actually signed. To their credit, boxers are a lot safer than they used to be, but they simply aren’t as ambitious as they once were.
