Undisputed: There is no love lost between George Kambosos Jr and Devin Haney
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)George Kambosos Jr and Devin Haney clash for boxing’s undisputed lightweight championship of the world tonight.
Melbourne is the setting for a hotly-anticipated clash between two undefeated stars and bitter rivals, with Kambosos Jr mounting the first defence of his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring belts.
It is six months since the 28-year-old from Sydney stunned boxing by edging Teofimo Lopez via split decision at New York’s Madison Square Garden to become the unified champion at 135 pounds, one of boxing’s deepest and most talent-rich divisions that also includes the likes of Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who delivered a shuddering knockout of Rolly Romero only last weekend.
It was Lopez’s own first defence of the unified status he took with a shock victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko 13 months earlier. Kambosos Jr will be eager to avoid suffering the same fate on Saturday night, though faces a really tough test against American Haney.
‘The Dream’ has held the WBC lightweight strap since 2019, defending it on four occasions against the likes of Jorge Linares and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Haney was last in action in December, when he earned a dominant decision win over Joseph Diaz Jr in Las Vegas.
There is certainly no love lost between these opponents, with accusations and stinging barbs flying back and forth once again during fight week down under. Who will come out on top in this latest mouthwatering tussle for lightweight supremacy?
Kambosos Jr vs Haney date, start time, venue and ring walks
Kambosos Jr vs Haney takes place tonight, Saturday June 4, 2022, at a sold-out Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
The chief support card is due to get underway at around 1am BST (10am local time), with the ring walks for the main event expected at around 4am in another late night for British fight fans.
Kambosos Jr vs Haney fight card/undercard in full
George Kambosos Jr vs Devin Haney
Jason Moloney vs Aston Palicte
Hemi Ahio vs Christian Ndzie Tsoye
David Nyika vs Karim Maatalla
Lucas Browne vs Junior Fa
Terry Nickolas vs Lachlan Higgins
Yoel Angeloni vs Ken Aitken
Hussein Fayad vs Pom Thanawut Phetkum
Isaias Henriquez Sette vs Luke Gersbeck
How to watch Kambosos Jr vs Haney
TV channel: In the UK, Kambosos Jr vs Haney is being broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action, with coverage beginning at 2am BST on Sunday morning.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the action live online via Sky Go.
Kambosos Jr vs Haney weights
Friday’s weigh-in was a tense affair, with Kambosos Jr initially missing the 135-pound limit by 0.36 pounds.
That led to confrontational scenes between the two camps, though he came back an hour later and tipped the scales at 134.49 pounds.
Haney had no such issues, making weight at the first attempt at 134.92 pounds.
Kambosos Jr vs Haney prediction
Despite his belts, Kambosos Jr goes into this contest as the familiar underdog.
While he will have significant backing from a passionate home crowd, this could well be one step too far for the Australian.
Haney is a super talent and will be determined to showcase that on the biggest stage on Saturday night, particularly with his influential father and trainer at ringside after being granted a late visa to travel.
Haney to win via unanimous decision.
Kambosos Jr vs Haney betting odds
Kambosos Jr to win: 5/4
Haney to win: 8/13
Draw: 16/1
Kambosos Jr by decision/technical decision: 23/10
Kambosos Jr by KO, TKO or DQ: 5/1
Haney by decision/technical decision: Evens
Haney by KO, TKO or DQ: 11/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
