Undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. is still not decided on who he’ll fight next after watching WBC belt-holder Devin Haney defeat Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. last Saturday night.
Kambosos says Ryan Garcia and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis are options he’s considering as well for his next fight in Australia in early 2022.
Although the unbeaten Kambosos liked what he saw of Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) with his 12 round unanimous decision over his much smaller opponent Jojo Diaz, he’s not ready to say definitely that the Matchroom Boxing promoted fighter will be his next opponent.
Haney mostly played it safe, fighting on the outside in a throwback to the old Mayweather potshot style of the past era. While some boxing fans loved Mayweather’s play-it-safe style, it was very dull to watch for many.
In Haney’s case, he’s copied Mayweather’s fighting style to the letter, using it as a template to keep from taking punishment.
“He did take a few shots! We know JoJo’s NOT a natural (lightweight), but a great win,” said Kambosos to Fight Hub TV on Haney, getting hit by some big punches at times by Jojo Diaz.
If Jojo Diaz had let his hands go more and averaged over 100 punches per round, as he had said he would going into the contest, Haney would have had problems.
You could see that Haney is utterly beatable, but against Jojo Diaz, who fought like he was laboring due to the added weight he’d put on, he was able to cruise to victory.
Diaz looked like the added weight that he’s put on since moving up from the 130-lb division was too much for him because his work rate is nowhere what it used to be when he started his career at 122 in 2013. Diaz’s work rate has taken a hit with each move up in weight.
Against Haney, the bulky Diaz looked like a little butterball, carrying way too much weight for him to throw more than a few token shots in each round.
“I’m not going to say he’s the man straight away. But I liked what I saw,” said Kambosos on whether he’ll fight Haney next.
“I think it’s Tank because Lopez beat Lomachenko; he beat Commey. It’d be Tank, but then again, Ryan Garcia, too,” Kambosos said on alternatives to Haney for his next fight.
“He’s [Ryan] got a big following, so if he can get a nice, good win, maybe early January, as soon as possible, and look good, he can be in the mix for sure.”
If Kambosos were willing to drop his assistance on Ryan Garcia taking an interim fight in January to earn a match against him, he would be an excellent choice for his next fight. Asking Ryan to take an interim match is too risky, given his inability to stay the course when he’s scheduled to fight.
It might be a mistake if Kambosos chooses Haney as his next opponent because there would be far more interest from boxing fans in a fight between him and Gervonta Davis or Ryan Garcia.
Even Lomachenko would be a better option for Kambosos than Haney, depending on how he looks against Richard Commey next week on December 11th. Lomachenko will likely beat Kambosos badly, so maybe he’s not a good option.