Devin Haney says George Kambosos’ rapid rise has sent his “ego through the roof”

Speaking to News Corp six weeks before their megafight at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, when one of them will emerge as boxing’s first ever unified, undisputed lightweight world champion, Haney says he’d never heard of Kambosos until he was booked to fight then-unified lightweight kingpin Teofimo Lopez last year.

And the American is so confident in his abilities that he’s already preparing to beat Kambosos twice, on account of a rematch clause in their contracts.

Kambosos won the WBA Super, WBC Franchise, IBF, WBO and Ring titles in one of the biggest boilovers in boxing history when he scored a heroic decision win over Lopez in New York in November.

Prior to that fight being made in early 2021, Haney says he’d never heard of the Aussie known as ‘Ferocious’.

“Before the Teofimo Lopez fight, I wasn’t that familiar with him to be honest,” Haney says.

“But, this is boxing, you can get famous overnight.

“Obviously he’s put in the work to get here, I don’t wanna discredit his work or anything. But, just the way it happened, that’s how his career played out.

“He got a huge upset as an underdog and that’s how he became known. His best opponent is Teofimo, and before that, we didn’t really know. We didn’t really see. So, I mean, that just tells you that.”

Haney believes Kambosos’ rapid rise to superstardom on the global stage has gone to his head.

“The whole world has watched it,” he said. “We’ve all seen him change.

“We’ve seen his ego go through the roof. I don’t know what’s behind it, or what it really is, but who cares? It’s all about getting in the ring and fighting.”

“Come June 5th, I’ll humble him. I don’t care how he acts, he can act as crazy as he wants, but come June 5th I’ll be victorious.”

As Kambosos‘ bout with Lopez was delayed several times over the course of 2021, Haney, the WBC titleholder, says he had a friendly relationship with the Sydneysider.

That is until Kambosos scored the biggest upset in boxing.

“We communicated, but this is boxing and there’s no real ‘friends’ in boxing,” Haney says.

“Before the Teofimo Lopez fight, we talked about him being victorious, and if he was victorious, he’d give me a shot at the belts, so I’m happy that he’s kept his word. At the end of the day, this is just business.”

The blockbuster bout will see the winner become just the seventh unified, undisputed world champion in the four-belt (WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF) era, and the first in the lightweight division.

It also marks the first time in his six-year professional career that Haney has fought outside the USA or Mexico.

The slick Las Vegas-based boxer will arrive in Australia three weeks before the fight, and says his team is working hard to avoid a repeat of Manny Pacquiao’s controversial defeat to Jeff Horn in Brisbane in 2017.

“Me and my team are doing all the proper things to make sure it’s neutral judging,” he says. “I don’t want judges for me and judges for him, I want neutral judging.

“I want to be fighting on a fair playing ground. That’s all I asked for. That was my only demand, and we’re taking the proper steps to make sure that’s done.”

Kambosos could have opted to fight an easier opponent in his first defence of the belts, and has a rematch clause in the contract in case he loses.

Not that it worries Haney.

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“On June 5, Devin Haney walks away with all the belts, then I’ll come back and do it again,” he says.

“I want to come and beat him twice in Australia. I have a lot of respect for Australia and the Victorian government for all they’ve done in getting this fight done, so I gave my word.

“I gave my word that if I beat him once, I’ll beat him again. I’m willing and I’m up for it.”