Boxing
Devin Haney wants Gervonta Davis or Vasiliy Lomachenko next; reveals how George Kambosos rematch could be avoided
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The nature of Devin Haney's decision win over George Kambosos Jr. in the latter's native Australia has made it tough for anyone to see the point in the two facing off again.
However, Haney signed off on a rematch clause when agreeing to put his WBC title up against the WBA, WBO, IBF and The Ring belts Kambosos won from Teofimo Lopez last November, which means there's a very strong chance we see the two run it back later this year.
The champ sat down with Ak and Barak on The DAZN Boxing Show this week for an exclusive interview, during which he was asked about the rematch situation.
To his credit, Haney promised he would be a man of his word if a rematch is what Kambosos wants, but revealed a pair of factors that could take the contracted bout off the table altogether.
"I think the only way out is if I go up to 140lbs," noted Haney in the interview, suggesting that vacating all of his title belts would free him of any obligation to fight Kambosos again. "Or, George has also got to want the rematch himself. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t."
However, it also appeared that he has no intention of giving up the driver's seat at 135lbs any time soon.
"At the end of the day I did sign up for a rematch," Haney added. "It’s in the contract. I am a man of my word and your word is everything. If you ain’t got your word, you've got nothing."
The second way mentioned by Haney for there to be no rematch is a very common one in these situations. With Haney dominating the fight with his jab, Kambosos and his team may lose confidence in their ability to draw significant interest in another meeting between the two. And the rematch clause will only activate if the former champion activates it himself.
That being said, 'Ferocious' has maintained in the days since that he felt the contest was actually quite close, and he could do better in a rematch. Haney took exception to this viewpoint when speaking to Ak and Barak.
He said: "I saw him say the fight was close. If he wants to trick himself into believing that, the rematch would be even easier. He doesn’t want to face reality that he was outboxed to the extreme. I put on a jab tutorial, and he doesn’t want to acknowledge that.
"If we do a rematch, it would be a lot worse for him. Once you share a ring with someone, you know them. And I feel like I know Kambosos now. If we do a second fight, it’d be worse for him."
Haney went on to make it clear which two fights appeal most to him next, whether it be after a Kambosos rematch or if the clause is dropped entirely.
"I’ll fight anybody but I want to make the biggest fights happen," stated the champ. "Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko are the two that excite me the most."
You can watch the entire exclusive Devin Haney interview in full, which includes Haney's thoughts on Ryan Garcia and the crucial role his father played at ringside during the Kambosos fight, by clicking here.
