Eddie Hearn says he’s hoping to get the deal done this week for the undisputed lightweight championship between George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney for June 5th in Melbourne, Australia.
Hearn says he doesn’t care if WBC lightweight champion Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) is the D-side or Z-side in the two-fight deal with the four-belt champion Kambosos Jr (20-0, 10 KOs). He just wants to get the fight made for June 5th in Australia.
Haney has an excellent chance of winning this fight against Kambosos, but whether it turns him into the massive star that Hearn is banging on about, this writer is skeptical.
According to Hearn, becoming the world undisputed lightweight champion will transform Haney into the biggest star in American boxing. That’s hard to believe that Haney, a fighter that has failed to attract a broad audience in the U.S, could become the #1 star after beating Kambosos.
We’ll have to see if Hearn’s prediction becomes a reality, but as of right now, it seems farfetched. If anything, Haney will be where Terence Crawford was when he became undisputed at 140.
Although the hardcore boxing fans in the U.S were impressed with what Crawford did, the accomplishment went over the heads of the casual fans, who were oblivious to what the Nebraska native had done.
The American Crawford didn’t become the biggest name in U.S boxing from becoming a four-belt champion at 140 in 2017, and Haney will likely be in the same boat.
“I had a long chat last night with Devin [Haney] and Bill. We’re going through the terms and obviously with DAZN as well, Lou DiBella, the promoter for George Kambosos,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing Social on the negotiations between Devin Haney and George Kambosos Jr for their June 5th fight. negotiations
“I think we’re in a good place. We still have got some work,” Hearn continued. “I see George Kambosos, ‘Tik Tok, Tik Tok.’ We got the offer 24 hours ago. There’s a lot to decide. They want a rematch deal within it.
“Devin is a champion as well, but whatever it takes to get this fight made, we will try to do. Devin really badly wants this fight. It’s a brilliant fight for boxing. I love George Kambosos. I back Devin Haney in this fight all the time.
“I want to go to Australia really badly. You know, I’ve never been to Australia. I’ve never been to Australia. I’ve heard great things, and I want to go there. I’m desperate to go there. So what better excuse than the world lightweight championship?
“I said to Devin last night, and he said, ‘Are you promoting the show?’ I said, ‘No, I think we’re going to be in association with, we’re going to be the B-side. Mate, I don’t care. I signed you, and you didn’t have a world championship. You are one win away from becoming undisputed lightweight world championship.
“‘We will go to Australia as the B-side, D-side, or the Z-side, and we will go and win all those belts off of George Kambosos. We will dance in the ring, and after that, we will go to the beach in Australia. We’re going to put a shrimp on the barbie, but we’re going to have a great time,’ and that’s what legacy is about.’
“Legacy is what Devin Haney wants, and he won’t outprice himself in this fight. The money he is being offered is not good money in relation to the money he’s been making. He doesn’t care. He cares about legacy, and this is a legacy fight.
“I said to him last night, ‘You go over to Australia, and you become undisputed lightweight world champion, you’re the biggest American star in boxing. So let’s get it done,” said Hearn on the Kambosos vs. Haney fight.
