An early front-runner for the most electric bout of the year, the undisputed lightweight championship is on the line this weekend when George Kambosos Jr. squares off with Devin Haney. The current WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring lightweight titleholder, Kambosos will be looking to extend his unbeaten streak in this unification battle. Opposing him will be the current WBC lightweight titleholder Devin Haney who also maintains a perfect record of 27-0 in competition. Whoever wins this battle will become the first undisputed lightweight champion since Pernell Whitaker in 1990.
Truly a battle of two of the sport’s best, SBS has you covered with a preview of the fight, what to watch for from each fighter, and also who will win in this electric contest.
An imposing fighter with an unblemished record of 20-0, Kambosos is coming off the defining fight of his career thus far against Teófimo López in November of last year. In an epic clash, Kambosos was able to outlast his opponent and won via split decision. This contest was for López’s four lightweight titles and marked Kambosos’ 20th professional victory. In what will be his first title defense, “The Emperor” has found all kinds of ways to win after scoring mostly knockouts to start his career.
With his last three fights coming down to split decisions in favor of the Australian, the 28-year-old has found a knack for scoring decisive points when he needs to. In addition to his victory over López, Kambosos is coming off back-to-back wins over Lee Selby and Mickey Bey. Selby is a former IBF featherweight titleholder and was one of the best fighters in that division until his retirement in 2020. So while Kambosos has perhaps not faced the kind of a fighter of Haney’s caliber before, he has proven he can find all kinds of ways to win (10 knockouts and 10 decision wins for his career).
Coming off of four straight title defenses, Haney is perhaps the hottest fighter in the weight class and definitely a worthy foe for Kambosos. After winning the vacant WBC interim lightweight title with a fourth-round corner retirement victory over Zaur Abdullaev in 2019, the Bay Area native is just getting started. Though he is only 23 years of age, Haney has already amassed a professional record of 27-0 and is ranked as the world’s fourth-best active lightweight by The Ring Magazine. An orthodox fighter with a reach of 71 inches, “The Dream” has won 15 fights by way of knockout and actually has never had a fight come down to a split decision in his career.
With his last four title defenses all unanimous decision victories, it would appear that nothing can stop Haney in his quest to unify all of the lightweight titles. Haney Is also no stranger to making history as he became the youngest world champion in boxing when he was elevated as the WBC lightweight champion in October of 2019. In his last bout against Joseph Diaz back in December, Haney won via unanimous decision with scores of 117–111, 117–111, 116–112. Thanks to a flurry of punches from the champion, he was able to overwhelm Diaz at pivotal moments during the fight. He will need a similar performance this weekend on his road to becoming the undisputed champion.
Prediction: One of the biggest brawls of the year, it would appear that Haney has the slight edge here given his more dominant resume and better record overall.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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