By Sean Jones: Eddie Hearn continues to minimize the importance of Vasily Lomachenko being the one to face four-belt lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr in his next fight.
As always, the Matchroom Boxing promoter Hearn maintains that Devin Haney is more deserving of the fight with Kambosos Jr. than Lomachenko because he holds the WBC lightweight title, and a Kambosos-Haney fight would be for the true undisputed championship.
A fight between Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 KOs) and Lomachenko (16-2,11 KOs) is less important because it would be a voluntary defense for the Australian rather than for the undisputed championship.
Fans want to see Kambosos fight the BEST
However, the casual and hardcore boxing fans don’t care about the undisputed nonsense, as they already view Kambosos as the four-belt champion because he beat the man, Teofimo Lopez, who beat the man, Lomachenko. The fans want to see Kambosos fight the BEST, and that means Lomachenko.
Haney isn’t the best at 135, and it’s doubtful that he ever will because his days are numbered in the lightweight division. He’s quickly outgrowing the weight class, so he’s not going to be able to wait until Lomachenko gets old and retires before he can grab the #1 spot.
Apart from that, Lomachenko has accomplished much more in his professional career than the 23-year-old Haney (27-0, 15 KOs), who elevated to WBC 135-lb champion outside of the ring.
Haney didn’t win his title inside the ring. It was given to him. Since being given the belt, Haney has fought these four fighters:
- Jorge Linares
- Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr.
- Yuriorkis Gamboa
- Alfredo Santiago
“We’re talking to DAZN. George keeps coming out on social media saying, ‘We’re waiting for the offer,’ but they want to promote the fight but we’re going to Australia,” said Eddie Hearn to Fighthype.
“Normally in that instance, we’d be receiving an offer, not making an offer to do a show in your country, but we’re happy to do that as well,” Hearn continued. “We’ve been talking to DAZN, who are very, very keen to make the Devin Haney fight, of course, for the undisputed championship.
“It’s a big fight in Australia. A Sunday afternoon would be a primetime Saturday night,” Hearn said about the Kambosos vs. Haney fight. “That’s the fight to me, it’s very simple. George and Peter Kahn and Jim Kambosos and all those guys, they’re up for it.
“We just got to try and find a way to make it happen. It’s a long way to go but he’s got to make a move,” Hearn said when asked how close he is to make the Kambosos vs. Haney fight.
Lomachenko is the more important fight for Kambosos if he wants to show the boxing world that he’s #1 in the weight class. Fighting Haney would be more of a case of Kambosos taking the easy mark, as he’s more beatable than Lomachenko.
Hearn says Kambosos vs. Haney more important
“He doesn’t want a warm-up fight or to wait for other people,” said Hearn about Kambosos not wanting a tune-up. “Why should he? He’s got to have the biggest fight possible. That’s the undisputed. Of course, it is,” said Hearn when asked if the undisputed match between Haney and Kambosos is more important than the Kambosos-Lomachenko fight.
“Lomachenko is a brilliant fighter, but it’s a voluntary defense [for Kambosos]. We’re still going to have the problem with ‘He’s undisputed. No, he’s not.’ Just get the fight done,” said Hearn.
It doesn’t matter if Lomachenko is a voluntary defense for Kambosos. Fans want to see that fight more because the former three-division and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko has done more in the amateurs and pros than Haney.
“Lomachenko will be mandatory probably for the winner [of Kambosos vs. Haney],” said Hearn. “Devin,100%. That’s the fight. I think Devin is chasing just one fight right now,” said Hearn when asked if Haney would be open to fighting Mikey Garcia at 140.
Lomachenkomay be the mandatory, but he probably won’t get a chance to fight Haney because he’s saying he plans on moving up to 140 soon.