Devin Haney Defeats George Kambosos to Become Undisputed Champion!
Seeking to put all lip service to the side, WBC lightweight Devin “The Dream” Haney (28-0, 15 KO’s) took his show on the road…far on the road. To do so, The Dream traveled all the way to Australia to face WBA Super, WBO and IBF 135-pouud champion “Ferocious” George Kambosos (20-1, 10 KO’s) in a battle for undisputed. It was a bout that Haney has craved since Teofimo Lopez held the trio of titles.
Heading into this match the Dream was coming off his three fiercest competitors, having dueled with Yoriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares and Joseph Diaz. In all three matches the Californian displayed his superior boxing skill, pinpoint accuracy and high in-ring intelligence. These skills allowed him to largely pitch shutouts against all three men.
Yet it should be noted that Haney was notably rocked by Linares and forced to do a tremendous amount of holding for a short period of time. Once regaining his legs however, he resumed his role as clear ring general. With that one snafu put to the side, Haney has been well-groomed in the boxing game by his father and chief second Bill Haney. One very advantageous move that Bill Haney made was moving his son to Vegas where he has been receiving top notch tutelage for the majority of his life. Much of training has come from all-time great chief seconds such as Roger and Floyd Mayweather senior.
THE MAN DOWN UNDER
Kambosos strode into this match riding a massive wave of confidence. This is because, as the underdog, he traveled to New York and beat the then unified champion Teofimo Lopez in the iconic Madison Square Garden in the bout directly before. The rowdy crowd there stood in stark contrast to the previous bout with Lee Selby which took place during the pandemic and housed zero spectators.
That match with Lee Selby is interesting however because it boldly highlighted the trouble that Ferocious can have with fighters who are nimble on their feet. That certainly had to be a concern for Team Kambosos heading into the prizefight because even though he won that match against Selby officially, 3Kings Boxing had him losing.
Despite that one particular tepid performance, there is no doubt that the Australian is a talented fighter with a big heart, fast hands and nice combination punching. Kambosos also has picked up a number of tricks and slick moves from his solid win over Mickey Bey and numerous years of sparring boxing living legend Manny Pacquiao.
THE WAY OF THE JAB
The slower opening round saw Haney come out as the aggressor and attempting to control the period with his jab. For the most part, neither fighter connected with anything of much note. Kambosos did begin getting a bit more active in the closing minute. Ferocious launched out for the second with gusto and even landed a pair of good shots center ring. Yet, by the end of the period, The Dream had stabilized the round with his jab. In the third, Haney’s comfort level clearly deepened as he found more success landing his offense. This was by far the most ineffective period for Kambosos who missed widely regularly.
For the next several rounds, very little changed as Haney remained right outside of Kambosos’s punching range, where he rained in jabs. Whenever Ferocious did get close, Haney would either spin out of range or tie him up. At the closing of another dismal production round in the seventh, Kambosos appeared to have a clear dip in vigor and confidence. Even worse, the jab constantly slamming into his head was beginning to redden and swell Ferocious’s face.
NO ANSWERS, ONLY PAIN
Kambosos enjoyed a better ninth round due to landing a handful of meaningful blows, but it’s still questionable if he did enough to even the period. The unified champion had his best round in the tenth. During this period, The Dream came off the gas which allowed Kambosos the opportunity to get in numerous shots. For the first time in the fight, Haney really utilized his feet and moved around the ring. In this different mode, The Dream consistently walked him into thumping punches.
For the final round, Haney mildly hopped on his bike. While it’d be technically inaccurate to say that he won, he certainly didn’t engage with any intensity. Clearly feeling he had the fight in the bag, the WBC champ largely played keep away during the second half. When the final cards were read however, Haney walked away the victor by way of 116-112 (twice) and 118-110. With the win, The Dream is now the undisputed lightweight champion of the world!
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By: Bakari Simpson
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