Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr will be given a second chance against undisputed champion Devin Haney when the two square off on October 15th on ESPN at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) didn’t take chances against Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) last June when he lost a decisive 12 round unanimous decision in front of 41,000+ fans in Melbourne.
This time, Kambosos is vowing things will be different, as he’s going to be taking the fight to Haney, taking risks that he failed to take last time.
“Devin Haney dominated that fight and pretty much did what he wanted to do,” said promoter Lou DiBella said about the first Kambosos vs. Haney fight.
“I don’t believe George is going to make it so easy for him this time. I believe George is going to take chances. I think he’s going to show you why he’s nicknamed the ‘Spartan Warrior.’
“I think Devin is going to try and put an exclamation point on his undisputed status. I think he’s going to try and show people that he’s pound-for-pound and can beat George more convincingly. But I think there’s going to be a lot more fireworks. I think it’s going to be a sensational fight, and Bob [Arum] and I are going to make sure that it’s a sensational undercard.
“I’m happy to say that Vasily has arrived in the United States with his entire family. They’ve set up training in the Los Angeles area, and Vasily will have his first fight back on October 29th.
“I look forward to matching the winner of the fight between Haney and Kambosos against Lomachenko in the first quarter of next year.
“Why do a rematch [between Haney and Kambosos]? I go back to history. People who were around then remembered that Joe Frazier dominated Muhammad Ali in their first fight. When the rematch came, Ali was clearly the better man and won the rematch.
“More recently, Sugar Ray Leonard facing Roberto Duran in Montreal lost to Duran convincingly. Five months later when they fought the rematch, Leonard proved to be the superior fighter and not only won the fight but made Duran quit.
“So, rematches can be even more interesting than the original fight and I believe both fighters are going to bring this and give a great fight,” said Arum.
