Going into Saturday’s fight with Devin Haney, reigning lightweight champ George Kambosos Jr was being looked at as perhaps the best fighter in Australian boxing history – at least as a fighter who could maybe go on to earn the distinction. Now, having fallen short against Haney, this by some margin on the three score-cards, Kambosos is a former champion in need of a re-build.
And one man who is an absolute Aussie boxing legend in Jeff Fenech has had plenty to say about the corner work of Team-Kambosos on Saturday. And “The Thunder From Down Under” says he was appalled at the “lack of urgency” in Kambosos’ corner. Fenech, who fought like a mad man at times, always putting his heart on the line, in doing so thrilling the fans. Fenech says Kambosos simply didn’t throw enough punches against Haney.
“If that was me (in Kambosos’ corner) I would have been screaming my head off,” the former multi-weight champ said to Daily Mail Australia. “If you’re going to win, you’ve got to throw punches, throw punches in bunches. George took risks and got rewards against Teofimo Lopez. In this fight he didn’t. They must have known that was Haney’s game, how he wins fights. He hits and doesn’t get hit. But with George, there was no urgency in the corner. I guarantee you, you tell George to do something with urgency, he’s that kind of warrior……they just told him to box along. Round 10 and 11, they have to tell him, you’ve got to knock him out to win.”
So is Fenech right when he pretty much says Kambosos’ corner lost him the fight? Maybe a more animated corner would have helped Kambosos, but was he ever going to beat the on-his-game Haney? Styles make fights as we know, and Haney’s style looked all wrong for Kambosos, and it would have been no matter what his corner told him to do. It’s now up to Kambosos and his team (and the former champ may make some changes, who knows) to come up with a superior game plan if they are to take the rematch with Haney, 28-0(15).
But is there any way Kambosos, 20-1(10) can get his revenge? Kambosos’ only hope it seems is to somehow make the rematch a far more physical fight. Let’s see if Kambosos activates that rematch clause or if he decides to take another fight instead.