MELBOURNE, Australia – In his second consecutive trip to the land Down Under, Devin Haney picked up another unanimous decision over George Kambosos Jr. to retain the undisputed lightweight championship Sunday afternoon at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Haney, who also blanked Kambosos in June in Australia, won via scores of 118-110, 119-109 and 118-110. Legendz TV scored it 119-109 for Haney.
The 23-year-old Haney defeated Kambosos with ease in their first fight primarily behind his jab, one of boxing's best. However, "The Dream" worked in training camp on mixing up his punches to further befuddle his opponent.
The Las Vegas-based fighter landed 202 of 487 punches (42 percent) and Kambosos connected on just 76 of 311 (24 percent). Haney also increased his punch connect rate by 17 percent compared to their first meeting.
"I knew he was looking for the jab, so I wanted to show other tools in the arsenal," said Haney, who owns all four 135-pound titles. "The right hand won me the fight tonight."
"I should definitely be on the pound-for-pound rankings," said Haney. "I showed how versatile I am.”
"I came to Australia not once but twice. I honored [the rematch clause] and beat the man in his hometown twice. He made every excuse in the book for the first fight."
The first bout didn't warrant a rematch. However, in order to land a shot at Kambosos' four belts, which the Australian earned in October 2021 with a split decision over former titlist Teofimo Lopez, Haney had to agree to a stipulation that, if exercised, would guarantee Kambosos an immediate rematch in his home country. Having full confidence that Kambosos couldn't hold a candle to his boxing acumen and conditioning, Haney accepted the demands.
Although Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) performed better in the first round of their second encounter, the momentum was short-lived, as Haney was in control from the second round on.
By the ninth round, Kambosos was reeling from a deep cut over his left eye. He was also cut over the right eye from an accidental headbutt that left Haney with a gash over his right eye.
If anything, the blood seemed to have fueled Haney, as he followed up with his best round of the night in round 10, nearly stopping Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs), who survived once again. This time, however, it was a total beatdown.
"I gave everything I had in this fight. I'm very proud of myself," said Kambosos. "This guy's a helluva fighter ... a pound-for-pound top-five fighter in the world. His skills, his movement. He can move up to 140 [pounds] and dominate as well. This guy's going to be around for a long time. I'm very humble to be in there for 24 rounds.”
"I have some big, big fights to come in boxing," he added.
Haney could defend his undisputed status against Vasiliy Lomachenko next year. But first, the Ukraine native must first defeat Jamaine Ortiz, who is coming off an upset win over former junior lightweight titleholder Jamel Herring last May 21 in Las Vegas. A victory could make Haney-Lomachenko a reality by next summer.
"That's definitely a fight that I'll entertain," Haney said. "We take on all comers. No matter who it is, we want to fight the best fighters in the world. I believe I'm the best fighter in the world. Whoever is next, bring him on."
Lomachenko was previously set to face Kambosos in June before he withdrew from consideration to join a territorial defense battalion in Ukraine to support their efforts in fending off the invading Russia. That opened the door for Haney to get a shot at the undisputed championship, which has certainly paid dividends.
With the Australian world tour complete, Haney-Lomachenko seems almost inevitable.
