By Jim Calfa: Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney says it’ll be even easier to defeat former unified champion George Kambosos Jr. if he chooses to go through with the rematch.
Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) still isn’t certain if Kambosos will choose to fight him or not after the schooling he gave him in front of his own Aussie fans on June 5th in Melbourne.
Devin made the self-promoting Kambosos look like a bottom-feeder level fighter, and it was shocking how poor he looked.
The fight pretty much confirmed the belief fans had about Kambosos being a one-hit-wonder, and unlikely to ever win another world title unless he gets lucky and fights another sickly, and injured champion like he did last November.
Haney: We dissected Kambosos
“You came in like the Long Ranger. Are you surprised it was that easy?” said commentator Mark Kriegel to Top Rank Boxing, asking Devin Haney about his fight with George Kambosos Jr. on June 5th.
“I can’t say I was necessarily surprised because me and my team studied him for weeks and months the whole training camp,” said Haney about his preparation for Kambosos.
“We knew what he had and what he didn’t have, and we just dissected him and picked him apart like we knew we would,” said Haney.
“Bill, you told me that he fights with ego. I didn’t see that much. Were you surprised?” said Kriegel.
“One thing Devin does is he neutralizes anybody he’s in the ring with,” said Bill Haney. “I constantly hear this narrative about what fighters don’t do and what they couldn’t do on that night, but it’s Devin and not the other fighter.”
“How was the flight home?” said Kriegel.
“For me, it was like I was dreaming. I had a dream and I didn’t want to wake up from the dream,” said Haney. “I couldn’t believe that everything fell into my hands in one night.”
“Peter Kahn, Kambosos’ manager told me that he fully expects his fighter to execute his options for a rematch back over there this week,” said Kriegel.
“Are you prepared to go back? Is there any scenario where you think you would not be going back there next?”
“Honestly, I need to sit down with my team, my dad, and we’re going to figure out what’s next,” said Haney. “Obviously, it would have to make sense for me and my team.
“But I’m a true fighter, I’m willing to fight whoever, wherever, whenever. So if it makes sense for me and my team, I’m willing to do it again,” said Haney.
Devin ready for anybody
“Dad, you’re the boss. What makes sense and what doesn’t make sense?” said Kriegel.
“Well, anybody in the world. Devin is the undisputed champion. He’s #1, and all roads lead through him. He’s prepared and ready for anybody,” said Bill.
“Is there any scenario where you wouldn’t go back there [Australia]?” said Kriegel.
“We signed up to not only beat him once but beat him twice,” said Billy about Haney signing to fight Kambosos twice. “But like Devin says, everything must make sense because, from a business standpoint, it must make sense all the way around the board,” said Bill.
“Will you knock him out next time?” said Kriegel.
“We’ll see. I know he’s going to come up with a different game plan if we do fight again. I don’t know. We’ll have to see,” said Haney.
“I do feel like once I beat you the first time after 12 rounds of fighting with you, I feel like I know you. I know what he has and what he hasn’t. So, I think the second fight would definitely be worse,” said Haney.
“What about Vasyl Lomachenko?” said Kriegel.
“I think that’s a fight that we would love to make, and hopefully we can make it in the future,” said Haney.
“Could you make it in the next fight or the fight after?” said Kriegel.
“Possibly, we don’t know. Everyone knows his situation is right now, and I pray everything is alright with him. We’ll see,” said Haney.
Devin wants Tank or Lomachenko
“I saw Tank Davis Tweet going into the fight, before the fight, ‘If you win, why don’t we get together.’ How do you feel about that?” said Kriegel.
“We haven’t heard much about that after the fight, so we don’t know if he changed his mind or what,” said Haney about Tank Davis.
“Devin is ready and prepared for everybody in the world,” said Bill. “Of course, we signed up for a second fight with George Kambosos. If it’s Tank Davis or Lomachenko, no problem.”
“Ryan Garcia,” said Kriegel.
“That’s not a fight that I’m too interested in right now,” said Haney in ruling out a fight with Ryan Garcia. “Right now, I’m into legacy fights. Ryan Garcia is more into calling out the top guys, but not fighting none of them. So I’m not really going to entertain him and fighting too much,” said Haney.
“Shakur Stevenson could move up in the foreseeable future,” said Kriegel.
“Yeah, that’s a fight that we could make it in the future as well,” said Haney.
“How much longer do you have at 135?” said Kriegel. “If you don’t take the rematch [with Kambosos], you can always go up to 140, right? Who do you see yourself fighting at 140, and how much longer do you have at 135?”
“It’s very much possible for me to move up to 140,” said Haney. “Like I said, I’m going to sit down with the team and figure out what’s next. I’ve been at 135 for quite a long time now, since the amateurs, six or seven years.
“It’s not an easy weight for me to make, and I did accomplish the best accomplishment at 135. I have everything. I’m the top dog. No one else has a belt. I have everything at 135, but I still want to make the biggest fights possible.
“So if it makes sense for me to stay at 135, then I’ll stay. If not, then I’ll go up to 140. We’ll see,” said Haney.
“Let’s say you stay at 135. I tell you can have whoever you want, who do you want?” said Kriegel.
“I like Loma and I like Tank Davis,” said Haney. “Those are two fights that I’m interested in. If me and Kambosos don’t do a rematch, then those are the two fights that I would love to make.”
“I promise you, we’d be interested in that,” said Kriegel. “Is there a guy that you would move up to 140 to fight?”
“I want to make the biggest fights happen no matter what weight I’m at,” said Haney. “If I move up to 140, I’m going to be chasing the top guys because I’m looking to do the same thing I did at 135 and take over the division and at 140, do the same thing,” said Haney.
