Undisputed lightweight boxing champion Devin Haney may be contractually bound to a rematch with George Kambosos after taking the Aussie’s titles. But the undefeated 23-year-old isn’t ruling out a fight that treads new competitive ground.
” We’re not ruling out anything, because obviously I signed-up for the rematch but we’re going see,” Haney said, after he unanimously outpointed Kambosos at Melbourne to add The Ring, IBF, WBO, and WBC (super) titles to his WBC title. “I’m not ducking or dodging anybody. I’ll fight whoever and wherever, so we want to make big fights happen.”
Haney and his team will meet soon to discuss the next steps, he stated recently on The MMA Hour .. He is already in training, and despite a few headbutts, he said that he did not suffer any injuries from the dominant performance.
Kambosos, initially slated to face Vasily Lomachenko before the Urkraine war drew the former champ back to home soil, indicated afterward he’ll exercise a clause in his original contract to rematch Haney in Australia. Haney said for that to happen, he’ll need a guarantee his father and coach isn’t held up after the Australian government initially denied a travel visa due to a prior conviction in the U.S.
Scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110 indicated a comfortable margin of victory for Haney, who out-jabbed Kambosos by a wide margin despite a narrow edge in total strikes landed (25 percent to Kamboso’s 24 percent) and power punches landed (69 to 68 in favor of Haney).
Haney is hesitant to write off Kambosos as a challenge, though it seems possible he could negotiate step-aside money for his one-time opponent to take on other stars such as Lomachenko and WBA regular champ Gervonta Davis.
Haney was asked about his favorite matchups and he said that the Lomachenko fight is what he wanted. That fight is huge. All of them make me happy. Davis, Lomachenko, those two are pretty much on the top of the list, because that makes the most sense. Others guys that I rate less like that .”
Not on the list for now is former interim WBC lightweight champ Ryan Garcia, who immediately heckled Haney’s win on Twitter and called to fight Davis. Garcia will next face Javier Fortuna but Garcia has suggested a fight with “Tank”.
Another Belt from Davis or Garcia could add much to Haney’s Legacy and more than just a few zeroes in his bank account. But he is skeptical that Garcia will re-emerge as champ.
“I doubt that would happen,” Haney said. “I don’t think Ryan wants to fight anybody. He does it all the time. He does that because he loves it. He’ll tweet up a storm, he’ll call all these fighters out. The guy said he would fight [Manny] Pacquiao – c’mon, now.
“The guy uses fighters to promote his fight, and after he wins his fight against a nobody, he goes and fights another nobody. This is his cycle. He is not paying me enough attention because I can read the words. I really don’t think he wants to fight anybody.”
Haney will be fighting two more times with Top Rank Promotion, with whom he teamed up to bring the Kambosos fight to fruition. He said that even if he needs to go back to his previous accomplishment, there won’t be a shortage of motivation.
“I’m undisputed champion, and I’ve got a lot to protect, and a lot to be motivated for – to stay the top guy in the lightweight division,” he said. “So you never take anybody lightly. … Everyone wants to be at the top .”
