Devin Haney becomes undisputed lightweight champion defeating George Kambo

Boxing has a new undisputed lightweight champion in 23-year-old American Devin Haney (27-0, 15 KOs). This was one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year after all the trash talk and the high stakes of this bout whether it was the terms of the contract or the overall magnitude of the two fighters fighting for all the marbles.

The fight itself was a dominant masterclass for the new champion Haney. Haney was able to show off elite level defense and effective counter punching. It seemed as when Haney’s jab landed he was able to follow it up with left hooks and straight right hands, each shot made Kambosos throw less punches. Haney’s dominance took the decision right out of the judge’s hands. This was one of the many controversies heading into the bout with the match being fought in Kamboses hometown of Australia. If there was a close fight, how would the judges score it?. However, Haney erased all doubt by shutting down any attempt for Kamboses who was (20-0, 10 KOs) going into the fight. The scores for the fight read as follows 116-112, 116-112, 118-110. "This is a dream come true, I am here because of my dad, because of what he has fought for me. I wanted him to be the best. I stuck to the plan, that I didn't get hit, I knew I was comfortable. I fought a smart fight. I think I was cutting him off what he does well," said Haney after the fight. Haney also fought with a cloud of confusion; it initially appeared he would have to do so without his father and trainer, Bill Haney. Due to a 1992 drug conviction, the elder Haney initially wasn't approved for a travel visa, but on Thursday, he received clearance and arrived in Melbourne approximately 15 hours before the bell rang. Where both fighters go from here is really interesting. Another controversy going into the fight is that Kamboses had an immediate rematch clause in his contract. Kambosos is likely to ask for a rematch on Australian soil. He will need to go to another level to get the better of Haney should they meet again. You wonder how they sell that fight, given how wide the cards were this time around. Kamboses also struggled to make weight, in fact at yesterday’s weigh in he was close to being stripped after barely making weight. As far as the new champ he clearly showed there were levels and another rematch with Kamboses does nothing for boxing fans as he clearly showed the level of skill is completely different. The options for potential challengers for Haney is endless as he’s a fighter without a promotion it would be easy to negotiate his next opponent whether it be Vasily Lomachenko or Gervonta “Tank” Davis. However, in the meantime the one thing we do know is that Haney made history tonight completely unifying a division.