Kambosos and Haney face off in another Saturday night showdown to unify the lightweight division. Will Kambosos star continue to rise, or is it Haney’s time to take the division?
June 4 | Marvel Stadium Melbourne, Australia | 9 p.m ET ESPN
Another Saturday, another HUGE boxing match. 2022 has been great for the sport so far, and this particular showdown can’t be understated because of the ramifications. Tonight we get to see one of boxing’s most talented 23 year olds in Devin “The Dream” Haney facing off against the “Ferocious” George Kambosos. Whoever came up with his nickname needs a raise. In any case, this fight is truly what they mean when they say “for all the marbles.” George Kambosos is the current reigning IBF, WBO, WBA and The Ring lightweight champion, while Devin Haney holds the WBC belt, and tonight someone is going to walk away a big loser.
The rise of George Kambosos has been as unlikely as it’s been entertaining. The man walks around with a chip on his shoulder, and trust me I would too in his position. Before the upset that was the Teofimo Lopez fight (who found himself with these titles due to his own upset victory over Vasyl Lomanchenko) Kambosos was relatively unknown. He was an undefeated Australian with some regional belts, without a big presence in terms of the international boxing community. He emerged in a big way going toe to toe with a possibly overconfident Teo, showing the whole world he’s a great boxer puncher. He may not be the slickest in the game, but he has absolutely strong fundamentals, a great lead hook and a lot of stamina along with that grit to go into deep waters with an opponent. A great representative for Australia.
Devin Haney’s name has been around for seemingly forever. He’s one of the best young names in the game. He’s also truly a student of the sweet science, he may not be as skilled as a Shakur Stevenson per se, but he is in the conversation. We’ve seen the video of him sparring Shakur as an amateur, we’ve seen him school a guy like Romero in sparring. Haney has beaten quite a few quality names in the division to date, such as Jojo Diaz, Jorge Linares, he also handed Yuriorkis Gamboa his 3rd loss and this next fight is the next step to superstardom for the young talent. Defensively extremely solid, offensively he’s gained a reputation for not being the hardest puncher but that’s why its boxing and not rock em sock em robots.
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight Class |
| Devin Haney (c) -180 | George Kambosos (c) +155 | Undisputed Lightweight Titles |
| Jason Moloney -900 | Aston Palicte +600 | Bantamweight |
| Junior Fa -1400 | Lucas Browne +800 | Heavyweight |
| Andrew Moloney | Alexander Espinoza | Junior Bantamweight |
Predictions:
Tim: For my prediction, give me Devin Haney by Unanimous Decision to unify. He will have a height and reach advantage over Kambosos coming into fight night, and I believe he will use his educated jab to outbox Kambosos all night in route to a win. George Kambosos last 3 bouts have been won by split decision, I don’t believe he has the ability to do that with Haney. On top of that, many seem to think Haney has a suspect chin because he was briefly wobbled by the veteran Linares. This may be true, but you have to be able to land clean to test that out. Haney by UD.
Joe: A unification bout always seems to end in a decision. With Haney and Kambosos on a collision course it feels like this won’t be an exception. I expect a tactical matchup and I don’t believe that Kambosos is going to keep up with Haney. This fight is going to stay tight through the first six but Haney should get comfortable and open up a lead on the cards in the back six. As long as he isn’t careless it should be a clean UD for Haney.
Shawn: Devin Haney is one of the best young talents not only in his division but in the entire sport of boxing. With his name and his status as a legitimate contender on the rise for a while now, he has a chance to solidify that claim by taking the strap from George Kambosos on his home turf. While he has seen his fair share of doubters after a subpar performance against JoJo Diaz, it’s hard to deny how skilled of a fighter he is. What he lacks in power he makes up for in excellent footwork and punch placement.
George Kambosos shocked the world as a hefty underdog a few months ago. He took the fight to Teofimo Lopez, who was fresh off a win over the celebrated Vasyl Lomachenko. Kambosos used grit, toughness and aggression to control the pace of the fight and take a majority of the rounds. Now he faces a highly skilled challenger in Haney, who is looking to take what he just earned. Kambosos fighting in his native Australia can’t be overlooked in this one, he will be looking to put on a performance against Haney and retain his spot as one of the top dogs of the lightweight division.
I personally see Kambosos making this an uncomfortable fight for Haney. Haney doesn’t want to end up in a slug fest so that is what George will make it. Look for Kambosos to be the aggressor early and often, not allowing Haney to show off his skill as a pure boxer.
Kambosos by KO in the 8th