By Sean Jones: Devin Haney’s dad, Bill Haney, says former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr is “in trouble” next Saturday night when the two meet for a rematch on October 15th at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
The Haney vs. Kambosos Jr II event will start at 10:35 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.
Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) is getting a second shot against Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) despite losing a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision last June in Melbourne in front of 41,129 fans.
After that loss, Kambosos, 29, has been keeping a light lip, saying very little to the media, which isn’t surprising given how silly he looked after all the bragging he did last time he fought Haney.
No one would take Kambosos seriously if he started mouthing off this time about how he’s going to beat Haney. To be sure, Kambosos has a lot of proving to do if he wants to win back all the fans that he lost last June.
You can argue that next to no one believes Kambosos is going to win back “them beautiful belts” that he lost last summer against Haney. The problem is, Kambosos lacks the talents, and he shows that he’s incapable of switching to a plan B, C, D, or E against Haney.
Smart fighters always have a backup plan in case things aren’t going well for them, but not Kambosos. When he started getting trounced by Haney, he stuck with the same lousy plan that he came into the fight with.
This might be the last we see of Kambosos inside the ring because he could be retiring if he gets beaten by Haney again.
Look at it this way; Kambosos’s chances of ever getting another world title shot after this fight are slim & none, and it would be a big shock for him to return to fighting the obscure fighters that he’d been facing before he lucked out with a win over the injured former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez in November 2021.
The paydays for Kambosos would likely drop dramatically after a second loss to Haney, and I can’t imagine that he would be willing to fight for the same money that he used to get after making tons of dough in his two fights with Devin.
In the chief support bout, Jason Moloney (23-2, 18 KOs) will battle Nawaphon Kaikanha (51-1-1, 46 KOs) in a WBC bantamweight title eliminator.
“I’ve been looking for him, George, and Jim. Things he said before, I ain’t going to stand for it. I wouldn’t have stood for it then if I had been around, but I’m here with Devin now, and we’ll address him once again next Sunday,” said Bill Haney to Fighthype about Devin Haney’s rematch with George Kambosos Jr.
“We got a week away, seven days away, and we’re looking good, and the weight is coming off good. I know you guys didn’t want to hear that. You thought I was going to say that he was having problems, but so far, guess what? You’re in trouble, George.
“If he ain’t got the message by now because I’ve been on the tram looking for him. I’ve been out in the uber looking for him,” said Bill Haney about him looking for Kambosos, who has been keeping a low profile for the rematch with Devin.
“I’ve been on the beach looking for him and anybody that represents him. We’re here, and we’re ready. Like I said, anybody that talks s**t, double down because that’s what we’re doing.
“I don’t know where they [Team Kamboso Jr] are at and what they’re trying to do, but it won’t work. Devin has spent a lifetime, and I’ve spent a considerable part of my life as well, chasing down those belts,” said Bill Haney about the four lightweight titles in Devin’s possession.
“That ain’t nothing to carry. We’re dug in in Melbourne, and we’re having a great time preparing for this thing. We got a chef and strength & conditioning coach, and we got a good cut man that’s coming in. He’ll be in today. That’s part of our team.
“There’s a lot of haters. I kind of expect the hate from the casuals that don’t understand because it could be honest hate. They’re just hating because they’re rooting for the underdog. That’s okay. That’s the pleasure of the sports.
“But when you talk about other guys in the business that represent other camps, these dudes are crazy the s**t that they say is hateful. I mean hateful in the negative way.
“Give us the B-side every day and call the B-side ‘breaking down barriers’ because we’re breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for other fighters.
“Every time you see Devin, you’re going to see a fighter that is getting better and better. He’s not even in his prime, and he’s one of the top fighters in the world to me.
“We need the opportunity to prove that. As soon as we handle this business with George Kambosos on October 16th, anybody can get it. I want everyone to double down on everything that you said.
“Don’t back out of it. Everybody that said something. When we finish this business, you got action. All of them can get it. The first one that steps up and raises his hand and wants to get out and really let the world know that you can really beat Devin,” said Bill when asked who Haney will fight next after he beats Kambosos Jr.
“We don’t want nobody just to whisper it. We want you to say it to the world and stand on it, and we go out and perform. We go out and make you wrong, or you make us wrong.
“Don’t whisper it. Double down on it. We’re about to handle this business with George Kambosos, God willing, on October 16th at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. We want to make the best fights happen. Loma, Shakur, it don’t matter. It really doesn’t matter.
“Teofimo Lopez, Regis Prograis, whoever in or around his division. Devin can become the first fighter to hold undisputed in both weight classes. It’s also about continuing his legacy, continuing to grow and mature, and tackling more challenges.
“If they’re not trying to make the fights happen at 135, then, of course, Devin will go up to 140. If it’s a problem in the last days of him at 135 making the weight, but I’m telling them right now. Y’all talked all that s**t. Don’t get scared now,” said Bill.
