After going toe-to-toe with Devin Haney for 24 rounds and suffering two unanimous decision losses, George Kambosos Jr. is convinced that his conqueror is the best lightweight in the world.
“Devin Haney has the belts. He’s proven. He’s got everything. Yeah, Tank has beaten some good guys. But he hasn’t beaten the guys that Haney has beaten. We’ve seen a rehydration clause on Tank’s biggest win against Ryan Garcia. So those kinds of things stain [a resume] from the outside looking in. Haney is the No. 1 lightweight at this stage until he vacates,” Kambosos told BoxingScene.com in an interview.
Davis has a remarkable resume at 135 pounds, beating the likes of Ryan Garcia, Rolando Romero, Isaac Cruz, and Yuriorkis Gamboa. The knockout artist has also scored stoppage wins against Leo Santa Cruz at 130 pounds and Mario Barrios at 140 pounds.
Haney is coming off a spirited unanimous decision victory against Vasiliy Lomachenko. In addition to his pair of wins against Kambosos, Haney has also beaten Joseph Diaz Jr., Jorge Linares, and Gamboa as well.
An argument can be made for both as to who the best 135-pounder is in the world, but Haney ultimately has all of the belts and undisputed champion status.
Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) wants to climb back up the lightweight ladder for another shot at championship glory, and his comeback campaign will begin July 22 when he takes on Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma on ESPN.
“I never lose focus. I knew, yeah, one day the loss would come,” said Kambosos, a 30-year-old Greek-Australian. “It is what it is. That’s why I chose a guy like Devin Haney to fight. Originally I was supposed to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko. I want to test myself against the best and elite guys in the world. If the loss comes, big deal. It doesn’t affect me as a fighter. More than anything, it motivates me even more.
“I’m a better fighter for it [after fighting Haney for 24 rounds] and I can’t wait to show it on July 22.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.