Analysis: George Kambosos must reset after his loss to Devin Haney

More importantly, he put on enough of a show to prove he can still land another couple of big-money fights at home or overseas.

Boxing is a fickle sport, and he wouldn’t have been the first world champion cast aside after a loss, but, two fights removed from being the unified lightweight king, it seems unlikely that will be his fate.

His promoter, Lou Di Bella, said as much after the bout, hinting that the Sydneysider’s grit and resilience proved he still has time left in the spotlight.

“What he did was a tremendous exhibition of heart, and will and never quit,” Di Bella said.

“People love that, it’s what people respond to.

“The man here is a warrior. There are a lot of fights out there that are wars.”

So, what’s next for Ferocious Kambosos?

First things first: rest. He fought three world title fights – two of them wars – in the space of 11 months, and has said he’ll spend a few months relaxing and recovering.

Kambosos swears he’ll fight on, but the thought of retirement must have crossed his mind.

He hinted at it in the build-up to the rematch with Haney, and after banking something in the vicinity of the high seven figures in his past three fights, he could easily decide enough is enough.

If and when he does lace on a pair of gloves again, an obvious option next year is a rematch with Lopez, whose only loss as a pro is to the Aussie.

Having struggled to make weight for his fight with Kambosos a year ago, Lopez returned at super-lightweight (140 pounds) in August, and is scheduled to face former two-weight world champion Jose Pedraza in December.

Lopez’s promoter, Bob Arum, is open to staging a return bout between his fighter and Kambosos provided ‘Ferocious’ goes up in weight.

“If Kambosos decides to go to (super-lightweight) that would be a major fight,” Arum told Ben Damon on the Main Event podcast last week.

“People are interested on a revenge fight

“To make him against Lopez down the line sometime next year would be a very, very intriguing match.”

What could change things is Haney’s own possible move to super-lightweight.

The American is seemingly on a collision course with Vasyli Lomachenko in March or April next year, but says he’s beginning to struggle to make lightweight.

Haney moving to 140, freeing the lightweight belts up, would provide plenty of opportunities for Kambosos at his more natural weight.

“I don’t know how much longer Devin has at 135, I think he might move to 140, so God willing that opens up some doors for us,” Kambosos said in Sunday’s post-fight press conference.

“I’m a big, big name in the world of boxing and I showed that warrior spirit.

“You lose a fight, and you bounce back. This is not the end.”

Lightweight is one of the most stacked divisions in boxing, and even without the belts, there are still big-money fights to be made.

Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia are reportedly close to agreeing terms to fight, but if that falls through, either one of them could turn to Kambosos.

Meanwhile, a fighter like 24-year-old Isaac Cruz is on the comeback trail after dropping a decision to Davis last December, and could be looking for a stepping stone bout on his way back to the very top of the division.

The implication in any of these lightweight scenarios is that the likes of Davis, Garcia, Cruz and co – and their respective promoters – still see name-value in fighting Kambosos, but view him as less of a threat following two consecutive defeats.

That’s the harsh truth.

But, in many ways, it sums up Kambosos’ approach to his whole career. During his rise, he was always the B-side, the “away” fighter and the underdog.

On Sunday he returned to the “Ferocious” mentality of his days fighting in far flung places around the globe like Kuala Lumpur, Athens, New York and London.

He experienced the trappings and pitfalls of fame during his time as champion, but it’s a return to the challenger’s mindset he’ll need if he wants to get to the very top of the sport again.