Devin Haney put on a boxing clinic and outclassed George Kambosos Jr to become undisputed lightweight champion in Melbourne.
After a fight week full of emotion, intensity and ‘deception’ Haney took a leaf out of Floyd Mayweather’s book and proved that skills pay the bills with a 36-minute display that showed him to be a level above his opponent.
Haney was too quick, too intelligent, and too cool at the Marvel Stadium where Kambosos needed The Avengers to help him retain his titles.
Kambosos never lacked in effort but for every moment he went on the front foot Haney was a step ahead. The only concern after such a one-sided contest was how Haney would be treated on the scorecards. Thankfully the right man got the nod despite the two 116-112 scorecards from Zoltan Enyedi and Benoit Roussel being another cause for concern. Pawel Kardyni’s 118-110 was far more accurate.
Following the verdict Haney’s shoulders soon became draped in hardware and while Kambosos was respectful in defeat members of the two teams exchanged angry words. Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer, made it to Australia at the 11th hour following visa issues and had plenty to get off his chest after missing fight week and seeing insults fired at his son led by Kambosos himself.
Team Haney returns to American having proved a point and should now really aim for more challenging tests but a contract clause allowing Kambosos a rematch could see ‘The Dream’ having to go back Down Under and do it all again. It is a tough sell because Kambosos was chasing shadows on a night where Devin Haney chose to be influenced by The Art of Boxing rather than The Art of War.