Lightweight Devin Haney draws comparisons with all-time great Floyd Mayweather Jr after beating George Kambosos Jr to become undisputed champion and the boxing world praises Welshman Joe Cordina after he wins the IBF super-featherweight champion in emphatic style.
Plus Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn entertains us with a song in his spat with fellow promoter Leonard Ellerbe.
It’s Fight Talk – your weekly fix of boxing news.
The new Floyd Mayweather Jr?
World boxing has a new superstar.
On Saturday in Melbourne, undefeated American Devin Haney beat Australian George Kambosos Jr to become the first undisputed lightweight champion in 32 years.
Haney was forced to leave promoter Eddie Hearn and sign a contract with Top Rank in order to make the fight happen, took a pay cut, agreed to a rematch clause and even travelled to his opponent’s backyard without trainer, and father, Bill Haney.
But it was all worth it in the end as the 23-year-old showed his class by producing a masterful performance en route to a unanimous decision.
He may not be a one-punch knockout artist, but the manner of Haney’s victory, his slickness and skill has drawn comparisons with a great…
Aged 11, Haney held up the Ring Magazine belt for Zab Judah ahead of the champion’s fight with Lucas Matthysse.
Now, 12 years on, he holds all four major belts in the division. The childhood dream is achieved…
No longer an email champion
In an age of social media, Haney – through no fault of his own – was labelled by many as an ’email champion’.
Having held the WBC interim title, he was upgraded to full champion status when Vasiliy Lomachenko was promoted to ‘franchise’ champion. Put simply, Haney became a fully-fledged world champion outside of the ring.
But the San Francisco fighter has now silenced his doubters…
What’s next for Haney?
The two fighters shared mutual respect over social media following Haney’s win…
Kambosos Jr – who suffered his first defeat in 21 bouts – has suggested he will invoke the rematch clause, scheduled once again to take place in Australia.
“Yes, 100 per cent we will do it again,” said the 28-year-old post-fight. “If I hadn’t given him this shot, he wouldn’t have had his moment right now. Today they gave him the decision but I’m sure it will change when we get it on again.”
But after the one-sided nature of the contest, there is not much appetite for the rematch…
The lightweight division is packed with talent. Top of the wishlist is an all-American showdown between Haney and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis…
Davis has won all 27 professional bouts. The 27-year-old has brutal power, with 25 of his wins coming inside the distance.
With all the titles, Haney is now hot property and lightweight contenders have already started expressing their desire for a crack, including undefeated American Ryan Garcia who fights Javier Fortuna next month…
Meanwhile, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has hinted former champion Lomachenko could be in line for a shot, if the Haney-Kambosos rematch does not materialise.
In two shock results, Lomachenko, 34, lost his world titles to Teofimo Lopez in 2020, before American Lopez was upset by Kambosos Jr in November.
Cordina announces himself on world stage
Hours before events down under, Britain crowned its latest world champion.
Joe Cordina stunned Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa with a second-round knockout to take the IBF super-featherweight title.
A devastating right hook floored Ogawa as the 30-year-old became Wales’ 13th world champion in the most emphatic style…
It didn’t take long for American Shakur Stevenson, the hugely talented WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine champion, to call out Cordina.
Although the two-weight champion may want to brush up on his geography…
In a memorable weekend for the nation’s sports fans, Cordina was paraded at Cardiff City Stadium as Wales beat Ukraine to qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1958…
Ain’t no sunshine like Eddie Hearn
What better way to end this week’s Fight Talk than the dulcet tones of promoter Eddie Hearn?
His spat with Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, has intensified in recent weeks after the British promoter suggested he would look to sign Gervonta Davis to the Matchroom stable with the lightweight now a free agent.
On Hearn, the American promoter told the Seconds Out Podcast: “He’s a clown, and everybody knows that. That’s why you just laugh.”
Ellerbe did not hold back, adding “I try to be as professional as I can possibly be. But he’s the one guy that I can possibly say that if I had the opportunity, I’d stomp him out.”
Hearn, ever the wind-up merchant, responded to Ellerbe with this…
Celebrity X Factor? The Voice? The Masked Singer? There are plenty of options for Hearn should this promoting malarkey not work out.
