By Sean Jones: Negotiations have stalled between undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. and Eddie Hearn-promoted WBC belt-holder Devin Haney. According to SI, Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) isn’t happy with the financial package for the Kambosos undisputed fight.
Haney, 23, is a terrible option for Kambosos because he’s got a boring fighting style, and it won’t attract much interest. Hearn thought he’d found gold when he signed Haney a couple of years ago; you can argue that he found the equivalent of fool’s gold.‘
Haney isn’t going to be the next Floyd Mayweather Jr, and he doesn’t attract a lot of interest to his fights in the U.S. Maybe if Haney lived in the UK, he would be popular, but not in the U.S.
The fighters that are popular States tend to be more entertaining and possible punching power. Floyd Mayweather Jr. was one of the rare instances in the history of U.S boxing where a non-puncher became a star.
Most of the time, the light hitters don’t become stars in the States, and that’s why you got to feel sorry for Hearn because some believe he’s overpaying Haney.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports the news about the Kambosos-Haney fight having stalled. He says that the negotiations are going well between Top Rank promoted Vasily Lomachenko and Kambosos, so that’s a possibility for the Australian’s next fight.
Ryan Garcia a possibility for Kambosos
Also, Ryan Garcia is one of the options for Kambosos. That would be a two-fight deal in which King Ry and Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) would take interim fights in the first half of 2022 and then meet in the second half.
Sean Jones likes the idea of Kambosos fighting Ryan Garcia. It would be a 50/50 type of match-up that would attract a lot of interest from boxing fans.
In contrast, if Kambosos faces Lomachenko, he’ll have a very LITTLE chance of beating the talented two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine. Lomachenko is too talented for Kamabosos to beat him.
If Kambosos goes for that deal, he will make a voluntary defense against a likely bottom feeder contender before facing Ryan later this year. It’s unclear who Ryan (21-0, 18 KOs) would face.
Tevin Farmer recently mentioned that he was in the running for Ryan’s next fight, but it’s unlikely he’ll get the fight because he has too much experience for the the23-year-old Golden Boy fighter.
Interestingly, Hearn hinted about trouble with the talks with Kambosos this week when he revealed that he’d told Haney not to price himself out during the negotiations because if he wins this fight, he would be a “superstar overnight.”
George Kambosos Jr vs Devin Haney talks have reportedly stalled over financials. It’s claimed Kambosos Jr’s team remain in talks for a Vasyl Lomachenko fight, though are also now discussing a possible deal to face Ryan Garcia after both have interim bouts. [According to
@SINow
Kambosos vs. Haney negotiations stalled
“Talks for a lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and George Kambosos have stalled,” said Mannix to SI. “Officials involved have struggled to come up with a financial package that will satisfy Haney.
“While Kambosos’s team…continues to discuss with Top Rank a deal to face Vasyl Lomachenko—negotiations for a two-fight package there have been relatively seamless—there is some momentum building towards a deal with Ryan Garcia.
“Representatives of Kambosos and Garcia have discussed the framework of a two-fight deal that would see Kambosos and Garcia take interim fights in the first half of 2022—Garcia is penciled in to return in April while Kambosos prefers to fight in June—with the two colliding in the second half of the year,” said Mannix.
If the idea is for Kambosos to try and stretch his time out as the four-belt lightweight champion for as long as humanely possible, taking the two-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions to face Ryan Garcia is the way to go.