George Kambosos might have gone down in a lopsided result on the scorecards to Devin Haney but the Australian’s market value has not plummeted as some may have expected with defeat.
Following his first loss to Haney in June which gifted the American the belts and etched his name into the record books as the youngest undisputed champ, Kambosos’ stock in the boxing world had hit a low.
It was a dizzying fall for the Sydney fighter who captured the boxing world’s attention with his gritty upset win over Teofimo Lopez in New York.
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Some say Kambosos blew his chance at staying champion longer because he opted to take the toughest possible fight for his first defence, a heavy risk in the world of boxing.
Kambosos withstands Haney barrage
Instead of cherry-picking his first rival as the king of the lightweight division and giving his home fans a victory lap with a pushover fight, Kambosos put it all on the line against Haney, who came into the bout with the WBC belt.
In most cases, the fallen champion would be in a difficult position to find a path back to a position of prominence. Losing is never ideal, but in the sport of boxing, even defeat can open doors.
If Haney loses the belts in upcoming titles defences, then Kambosos, who is still ranked in the top five across most sanctioning bodies, could most certainly be given a shot again by a confident new champion, given his proven pulling power, his status as a former champ and the fact he has been beaten.
“What he did tonight was a tremendous exhibition of heart and will and never quit,” promoter Lou DiBella said in the post-fight press conference.
“People love that, that’s what people respond to.
“I think today, I know today and I know the rest of this week and going forward when you read about this fight … the man here is a warrior. He’s been a Spartan warrior his whole career.
“Tonight, he was again. There are a lot of fights he could have out there that are going to be wars.”
There have also been whispers that Haney will move up to 140 lbs in the near future, with vision of the gaunt champion at the weigh-in raising eyebrows. Even he conceded after the bout that making weight has been a challenge.
“135 pounds is not easy for me to make, Haney said. “It takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline.
“I’m gonna go back and talk to my team, but (there are) a lot of big fights … a lot of big money at 135. So we’ll see what is next but it is likely for me to stay (in the division).”
Speaking at the press conference after Sunday’s bout, Kambosos admitted his chances hinge on whether Haney vacates the belts and moves up.
“I don’t know how much longer Devin has at 135 [pounds],” Kambosos Jr. said.
“I think he might move to 140, God willing that opens up some doors for us and I’m a big, big name in the world of boxing still.
“I showed that warrior spirit like the greats, the Arturo Gattis and the [Roberto] Durans, and all these guys, they give it their all. You lose a fight, OK, you bounce back.
“I will be champion again, this is not the end.”
Kambosos, who has vowed to fight on despite earlier suggestions he would retire if beaten by Haney again, was left in no doubt about the undisputed lightweight champion’s talent.
“This guy is a top-five pound-for-pound fighter in the world, if not even higher,” Kambosos said. “This guy is smart. He knows how to adapt. I landed some great shots in round one and thought, ‘Here we go. Here is ‘Ferocious’ back’. But he just knows how to adapt. He knows how to move. He is a great fighter. I respect him a lot.”
DiBella compared Haney to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather when saying the American, who has won 15 of his 29 fights by knockout, has an outstanding array of weapons.
“You used to watch Mayweather and he would … quietly destroy guys and just beat their spirit and win almost every round and people would say that’s boring,” he said.
“Tonight, George came out there knowing he had to earn his fan base back, he had to entertain the people of Australia. And he knew probably that he was walking into a tornado and he did it anyway, which is credit to him.”
All which DiBella said underscored how strong a boxer Haney is.
“That’s the greatness of a guy like this and the greatness of Floyd Mayweather,” DiBella said. “You notice I’m using them in the same breath. And that’s not accidental.”
– with AP
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