Former unified lightweight champion George ‘Ferocious’ Kambosos Jr gives Devin Haney to hold onto his four titles by defeating Vasyl Lomachenko tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Kambosos, who lost twice to Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) last year, says that the four-inch reach advantage and the way that he controlled the distance is what gave him problems in his two losses.
Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) has an even shorter reach than Kambosos, which will make it difficult to get past Haney’s long reach to land. But when Lomachenko does get in the area to land, he’ll need to contend with the holding that Haney will be doing.
Lomachenko has the experience, ring IQ and speed to potentially deal with Haney’s size, jab, and constant tie-ups. It won’t be easy, though, because he’s facing a fighter that size-wise will be three divisions larger.
“It’s a fantastic fight. I’m excited to be here to watch it. You got two high-IQ fighters, guys with extraordinary skills. There’s a lot on the line for Devin, defending all the belts and the pressure to defend. Also, a lot on the line for Lomachenko. This is his last crack at all the belts,” said George Kambosos Jr to Fight Hub TV.
“Lomachenko has been in so many big fights. He’s been around for a long time. Like I said, this is his last crack, his last opportunity to get all these belts. He’s definitely going to be well-prepared.
“Devin knows that as well, and he’ll be fully prepared and in tremendous shape. The thing with Loma, he does cut the range really well and get on the inside. Can he get on the inside against a guy like Devin Haney? That’s the big question.
“It’s going to be an interesting fight, but I just feel Devin has got an edge over him.
“The way I see it, Devin is the bigger, younger, rangier kind of guy. If Loma can get on the inside and fight the way he fights, it’s going to be more interesting. But if Loma sits on the outside with his hands up and Devin controls the ring and pushes him back, it’s going to be a very easy fight for Devin.
“It’s a fight that has a lot of the boxing world thinking, ‘Who can pull it off”‘ I’ve been in with Devin in 24 rounds, and I know how good that kid is. He’s an unbelievable fighter. It’s going to be a very interesting fight, but I got to go with Devin in this one.
“The thing with Devin is he’s got that big reach. He had four inches on myself and we knew that coming into the fight, but it’s the way he controls those inches. You can have 100 inches and not be able to control the distance.
“I’ve fought guys that were way taller, way longer, and rangier than Devin, and I was still able to get on the inside and break them down. Devin knows how to control his distance, his reach with his movement. He’ll be able to control that distance as long as Loma isn’t able to get inside.
“I’m very happy to have played a good part in this. I had all the belts and went straight into a Lomachenko possible fight. He couldn’t take the fight, and Devin jumped in, a true champ, and we done twice.
“Now, if I decided to say, ‘I’m going to take some easy fights and milk it a little bit,’ I could have everything right now still to this day, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done and been able to see these kinds of fights a well. It’s interesting as a boxing fan.
