There are far more significant fights that await Devin Haney.
The good news for the undisputed lightweight champion is that—with a win—he won’t have to wait very long to grab the next lucrative opportunity.
Haney is set for his rematch with Sydney’s George Kambosos Jr. (20-1, 10KOs), whom the Las Vegas-based champ soundly outpointed on June 5 (June 4 in the U.S.) in Melbourne to fully unify all the titles at lightweight. Haney defended his WBC title while winning the lineal/WBA 'Super'/IBF/WBO belts in a lopsided bout to the point where a second fight didn’t seem necessary.
It was, however, one to which Kambosos was entitled due to a rematch clause in their fight contract. With that comes the sequel, which will air live on ESPN and its accompanying platforms on October 15 from Rod Laver Stadium in Melbourne (Sunday, October 16 on location due to the time difference). It comes just four months later to leave Haney with his quickest ring turnaround since the pandemic.
“I am happy that I’m back in the ring quickly,” Haney told BoxingScene.com. “It kind of puts me back in the days when I was coming up. I do believe it will show when we face George Kambosos again on October 15th how much sharper I am and how much better I’ve gotten since our last fight.”
Haney (28-0, 15KOs) has fought every six-to-seven months dating back to his November 2020 decision win over former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa in Hollywood, Florida. The rate of activity is typical by today’s industry standards, whereas the unbeaten Las Vegas-based champ—who is still a full month from just his 24th birthday—enjoyed a more hectic schedule upon arriving on the title scene.
Dating back to a ninth-round knockout of Mason Menard in May 2018, Haney fought six times in eighteen months against a solid mixture of prospects, contenders and former title challengers. The run included a highlight reel knockout of Antonio Moran and a one-sided stoppage win over then-unbeaten Zaur Abudallev to claim the interim WBC lightweight title less than four months later.
“Back when I fought Moran and then Abduallaev, I fought four times that year,” noted Haney, who will attempt his sixth overall title defense and fifth straight against a former or current titleholder. “When I’m that active, where I can just pick right up from where I left off in the last camp I feel that much sharper in the ring.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
