Devin Haney has won all 27 of his professional fights and is currently WBC lightweight champion and will be aiming to add the WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring titles to his name when he takes on George Kambosas this weekend
Image: Mike Owen/Getty Images)
I have yet to be convinced by Devin Haney. Perhaps Sunday’s lightweight unification showdown against George Kambosos in Melbourne will be his coming of age.
I can see that Haney has talent but there is a nervousness about him. He is a good, all-round fighter yet is somehow inhibited. Some rave about the guy and argue he will outbox Kambosos. But I have yet to see anything about him that marks him out as special.
He didn’t win his title in the ring but inherited when the WBC made Vasyl Lomachenko their ‘franchise’ champion, a confected nonsense that Loma didn’t need. Apart from beating Ryan Garcia in the amateurs his notable scalps are Jorge Linares and Yuriorkis Gamboa, both of whom had seen better days.
Kambosos is fighting at home in front of 50,000. He is bolstered by that super win against Teofimo Lopez to unify the WBA, IBF and WBO belts. Everybody expected Lopez to knock him out cold, including me. He didn’t let the power and reputation of Lopez take him out of his stride.
Kambosos is quick and punches hard if not with devastating power. He has put himself out there and showed real commitment in taking down Lopez. Last week Gervonta Davis pulled it out of the fire with a big punch. He was behind on the cards early against Rolando Romero but found a way.
That’s how Davis fights. He can look to be sleeping then reaches for the extra gear that allows him to produce the goods when he has to. Ryan Garcia is another with that quality, quick hands, great left hook and a real fighting heart.
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Image:
Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
That’s what I’m looking for from Haney. I want him to light up the night in Melbourne. This is not a division in which to go quiet. There are too many top operators. Haney will have to show something new to prevail.
Kambosos has a great chin and a high work rate. He senses when to get the foot down and has the proven form. Haney has to fight at a high tempo. He is slick and likes to fight on the counter, but I will not be backing against Kambosos in a 50-50 fight at home. He has earned my respect.
I hope Haney finds something. He is still young at 23 but for me he lacks intensity. You can’t nick rounds all the time at this level. At some point you have to put it on your opponent. The pro game is about being explosive and fighting with chutzpah. I would be delighted to be proved wrong but Haney needs a whole, different level of energy to do that.
- Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone @McGuigans_Gym
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