Lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. will defend his world titles at home in Australia on Saturday against Devin Haney (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET with prelims on ESPN+ at 7:30 p.m. ET).
More than 50,000 fans are expected at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne to root for the local hero, who took the belts by defeating Teofimo Lopez last November. But Kambosos will be the underdog against Haney, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) has taken the long road to become champion, fighting outside his home country since 2017. Before the Lopez fight, he’d fought in Athens, Greece, New York and Wembley Arena in London, where he outpointed Lee Selby to set up the title fight against Lopez.
Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) turned professional at age 17 and fought 10 of his first 15 fights in Mexico. He won the WBC interim lightweight title against Zaur Abdullaev in 2019 and was then elevated to full champion when the WBC decided to name Vasiliy Lomachenko its “franchise” champ. And while Haney has defended that belt four times, there are doubters because he didn’t win the belt by defeating another champion. This is his opportunity to prove his status.
Former two-division champion and current ESPN boxing analyst Timothy Bradley Jr. breaks down the fight and picks the winner. ESPN betting analyst Ian Parker also provides his take.
Source: www.espn.com