By: Sean Crose
The world awaits an undisputed lightweight title fight this weekend, as WBA, IBF and WBO world champion George Kambosos defends his belt against the highly skilled WBC puncher and boxer. undefeated Devin Haney. Kambosos surprised a lot of people last fall when he best sold the famous Teofimo Lopez by deciding to split at Madison Square Garden. Instead of lightly touching to defend his first title, Kambosos will face formidable Haney in a scheduled 12 round. Although 27-0 Haney was the favorite walking team, the 20-0 Kambosos was also unpopular when he competed against Lopez. Australia’s Kambosos will also fight in front of a home audience, as the match will take place at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
“George Kambosos holds most of the titles,” said Lou DiBella, Kambosos promoter. “He got this. He beat Teofimo Lopez. He has taken on every challenge put in front of him. Sometimes, he fights in front of no one. He has traveled the world and fought in other people’s territory time and time again for his chance to be the undisputed champion. And now he will have a chance to collect every belt if he can beat Devin Haney. ”
“I envisioned winning by all means,” said Kambosos. “I have shown everything, every part of this journey. They said we would never be here, but only two people really believed it, me and my father. So I showed my victory, and I envision winning by all means on Sunday.” For her part, Haney seems to find this a story worthy of a Rocky movie.
“A win would be very satisfying,” Haney said at Thursday’s press conference, “because it meant I did it with all the odds, even if things didn’t go in my favor.” I. They tried to do whatever they could to put me at a disadvantage. But when I show up on top, it’s much sweeter. I look forward to bringing the belts back and showing my dad what we’ve achieved together. ”
Kambosos’ last fight was against the critically acclaimed Lopez last November. Having beaten Vasily Lomachenko before, Lopez is seen as a man on his way to superstardom. With graceful moves, determination and a solid strategy, Kambosos broke up the party. After beating the overly aggressive Lopez in the first round, Kambosos decided not to let his more famous rival take the throne, thus claiming the victory and claiming Lopez’s title.
Haney’s last fight was a unanimous decision for Joseph Diaz last December. He has also passed the likes of Jorge Linares and Yuriorkis Gamboa on his way to this title chance before him. The Kambosos-Haney match will be broadcast live on ESPN on Saturday night. The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
