Eddie Hearn confident Haney gets George Kambosos fight

By Michael Collins - 12/05/2021 - Comments

Eddie Hearn says talks will begin for the undisputed lightweight bout between four-belt champ George Kambosos Jr. and WBC champion Devin Haney this week.

Hearn says the Kambosos vs. Haney is the “ONLY” fight that can be made at 135, eclipsing other potential matches the Australian can make against Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, or Vasily Lomachenko.

Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) successfully defended his WBC lightweight title last Saturday night, beating a slow, bloated, and tired-looking Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. (32-2-1, 15 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Haney did NOT look all that impressive against Kambosos, getting hurt on a couple of occasions in the fight.

It was all Diaz, 29, could do to throw a handful of shots in each round, given all the rest breaks that he needed.

Diaz looked like a bloated super bantamweight and lacked the conditioning needed to compete at a high level against Haney.

One can argue that if Diaz were capable of throwing more punches, he would have won the fight because Haney looked beatable. The scores were 116-112, 117-111, and 117-111 for Haney.

Hearn said Lomachenko is not in Kambosos discussion

“I’m sure Tank will look great, and Cruz will bring what he can, and Lomachenko is Lomachenko,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing Social on possible options for George Kambosos’ next fight. “I don’t think, with all due respect to Lomachenko, he’s in the discussion for that fight [with Kambosos].

Eddie Hearn confident Haney gets George Kambosos fight

“Of course, Tank is, and Ryan Garcia [are being considered by Kambosos for his next fight],” said Hearn.

“We just got to make sure we do the best that we can for the fighters. I’d like to think that Kambosos’ team trusts us after what we did for that fight [against Teofimo Lopez] and making sure it goes over the line,” said Hearn.

This writer would much prefer seeing Kambosos fight Lomachenko than Haney, as Loma is arguably more respected and has better talent. Even at 33, Lomachenko has more ability than Haney and is more entertaining to watch.

We’ll see what Kamboso and his promoter Lou DiBella have to say about whether Lomachenko has a chance of getting the fight after his December 11th fight against Richard Commey.

If Lomachenko looks impressive against Commey, it might seal the deal for him getting picked out by Kambosos.

Haney: I have the best resume at 135

“I thought I put on a good performance,” said Haney. “I fought a tough competitor in Jojo Diaz. Everyone said he was going to come in and give me a good fight.

Eddie Hearn confident Haney gets George Kambosos fight

“I think I made it an easier fight than what they thought everyone was saying it was going to be, but I hit him with some good shots, and yeah, we’re onto the next,” Haney continued.

“I showed that I could take a shot, and I showed that I am one of the best in the lightweight division. He [Jojo Diaz] just beat Javier Fortuna.

“The world said I was ducking Javier Fortuna. Right now, I have the best resume in the lightweight division, whether like it or not,” said Haney based on his wins over 40-year-old Yuriorkis Gamboa, 36-year-old Jorge Linares, and undersized former 122-lb fighter Jojo Diaz Jr.

Many boxing fans would disagree with Haney on his assertion that he has the best resume of anyone in the lightweight division. The guys that Haney beat recently, Gamboa, Linares, and Jojo Diaz, were either faded or up there in age.

Gamboa has arguably been a shot fighter for many years, and Linares is well past his prime. In the case of Jojo Diaz, he looks nothing like the fighter he once was when he was competing at 122 and 126.

Jojo is too small to be competing at 135, and you could see that he was laboring last Saturday night from all the excess muscle weight he was carrying around. Diaz SHOULD be fighting at 126, not 135.

Devin believes Kambosos cares about being undisputed 

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter if I impressed him [Kambosos] or not. It’s about the belts more than anything,” said Haney in reacting to being told that Kambosos will decide on his next opponent based on how impresses him more in the Haney-Jojo Diaz, Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, and Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey fights.

“I have nothing to prove to George, with all due respect,” Haney continued in his belief that the undisputed championship holds more weight to Kambosos over the arguably greater money and more fame he could receive against another opponent like Tank Davis, Ryan Garcia, or Lomachenko.

“It’s just WHO is the undisputed champion, and it doesn’t matter if he [Kambosos] is impressed or not,” Haney said.

Kambosos – Haney negotiations start this week

“This week,” said Eddie Hearn when asked when the negotiations will begin for the Kambosos vs. Haney fight. “We’ll speak to [promoter] Lou [DiBella] and Kambosos’ team, and it’s the natural fight, it’s the ONLY fight.

“He’s [Kambosos] going to want a homecoming in Australia, and he deserves it. We’re probably one of the few that is willing to go,” Hearn said of Haney being willing to fight Kambosos in Australia.

“To add to what he said, it was probably a year ago when we were struggling a little bit for direction because people didn’t want to fight Devin Haney unless they got overpaid.

“So, we have to thank DAZN for not just investing in Devin Haney but making sure we get the right fights. In 12 months, he’s gone Gamboa, Linares, and Jojo Diaz. So he [Haney] has the best resume of those [four] Kings that you say, and there’s plenty more to come.

“Just 23-years-old, he’s an amazing fighter,” Hearn with his promotional hat on.

“This is just the beginning,” Haney said. “I’ve got a long career, but I’m happy with the way it’s heading, and I trust my team, Eddie Hearn, Matchroom and DAZN, and my team behind me. I’m excited about my future,” Haney said.

Hearn says the negotiations will begin between him and Kambosos’ team, but we still haven’t heard from them yet to confirm whether the talks will begin.

It would be a good idea for Kambosos not to be in a rush to pick out his next opponent because this might be his only chance for a big-money fight.

If Kambosos loses his four titles in his first defense, he should go for the most money. The question is, will Haney bring in more money for Kambosos than Tank Davis, Ryan Garcia, or Vasily Lomachenko?

You can argue strongly that the U.S boxing public would prefer to see Kambosos fight Ryan, Tank, or Lomachenko than Haney.

I mean, that’s not to say that Haney isn’t a good fighter, but the fans in the States would likely prefer to see Kambosos fighting Tank, Ryan, or Lomachenko than Haney, who can’t punch and can be a bit dull to watch much of the time.

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