We have an undisputed lightweight championship tilt from down under. George Kambosos Jr defends his undisputed 135 lb title versus someone who may be in line for boxing stardom should he win, Devin Haney. Now you can argue if Kambosos should be the undisputed champion with certain particulars with the cumbersome and ridiculpous rules of the ABC Sanctioning Bodies, but he beat the man who beat the man.
For me that is good enough even if Haney is technically the WBC lightweight champion. It’s boxing right! One way or another there will be an undisputed champion come this weekend. I like the odds on both sides here so let us see what I like.
George Kambosos Jr.-Devin Haney
Date: Saturday, June 4
Main card: 10 a.m. AEST
Main event ringwalks (approx): 2 p.m. AEST
Network: Foxtel PPV
A lot will be on the line for both fighters come Saturday from the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Kambosos would want to prove that his win over Teofimo Lopez was not some fluke. Haney will want to establish himself as the man at 135 and with all the belts, he can do that easily.
Haney will have the reach advantage and for the most part the speed advantage in hands and feet. Although his resume has faded champions, his best performance came against title contender Joseph Diaz. Haney started out fast but was in a fight. Though Diaz won rounds, he was never able to put them together and could not match Haney’s speed. Haney went onto a comfortable decision victory
Kambosos came to the states last year and upset Teofimo Lopez. He put the champ on the canvas and would not let up. Lopez tried hard to get into the fight but Kambosos proved to have a very strong chin and ultimately the activity kept Lopez honest and the threat of another knockdown did the same. Lopez dropped Kambosos in the 10th but by round 11 and 12, Kambosos weathered a storm and did enough to dethrone the champion.
Now he gets his homecoming fight.
Odds are favorable on both sides. If you like Haney. A line of -175 is good. If you are a Kambosos person, +145 to me is a steal. If you got resume for resume, this fight is a wash technically with Kambosos having the biggest win, and Haney with more name wins. Both men are not big punchers but can trade when they have to. I see this going a full 12 and with the value of plus odds, I like Kambosos. My reasoning here is that he has been punched in the mouth by a bigger in his prime fighter in Lopez and he out boxed Lopez and toughed out the later rounds. This same Lopez had Vasily Lomachenko gun shy in their bout
While Haney may pass the eye test, I have not seen him get punched in the face by an elite fighter and seen his reaction. Haney’s dad will also not be able to operate his corner as he was not allowed entry into Australia. In addition, Kambosos has the home field advantage. That line of +145 is too tasty with all the factors I mentioned. Kambosos to win by decision is extra tasty.
Kambosos Jr by Decision ($3.70 at Ladbrokes)
Kambosos Jr to win
$2.35 (1 Unit)
