After spectacular wins by rivals Teofimo Lopez and Gervonta Davis in recent weeks, Devin Haney hopes to produce his own show-stopping performance when he meets Cuban veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on Saturday night.
Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) returns after undergoing shoulder surgery following a points triumph over Alfredo Santiago in Los Angeles in November 2019, eager to prove that he belongs in the conversation as one of the world’s best lightweights.
Lopez dethroned pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko last month whilst Davis scored a chilling KO of Leo Santa Cruz at the weekend as the 135lbs division underlined its status as arguably the most vibrant weight class in boxing. This Saturday, it’s Haney’s chance to make an impression.
“I don’t just want to win, I want to win in spectacular fashion,” said WBC title-holder Haney. “I want to beat Gamboa worse than anyone has to date. I want to show him that I am the best fighter in the world and better than anyone he’s ever faced.
“I have to make a statement. The eyes of the boxing world are all on me again. They’ve heard me talk the talk and now it’s time to walk the walk.
“The belts are important to me; I want to win as many of them as I can. I am willing to fight any of the top guys, I don’t want to skip any of them out or say, ‘I like this guy over that guy’, because I want the fights that the fans want to see the most. It’s important to defend by title, look good doing it and hunt the rest of the division after that.
“Everything is falling into place and the lightweight division is lighting up. I have to handle business with Gamboa first, take care of him and then the sky is the limit. There are so many big fights out there, everyone is opening up and 2021 can be huge if I win this fight and make a statement.”