MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Unbeaten American Devin Haney fought a “smart fight” to
comfortably beat Australia’s
George Kambosos on points Sunday and become the
first undisputed lightweight world champion in modern boxing history.
اضافة اعلان
Highly-rated WBC title holder Haney, a clear
favorite, successfully defended his belt for the fifth time and in the process
took the WBA, IBF, and WBO straps off Kambosos with a unanimous verdict in
Melbourne.
The victory made him the first undisputed
lightweight champion since Pernell Whitaker in 1992 and the first in the
four-belt era, which began in 2004.
Kambosos was undone by Haney’s sensational speed,
instinct, and relentless left jab that frustrated the Australian who struggled
to land enough big blows.
It was a defensive masterclass by the
American,
whose slick skills and tactical nous won the day in front of a 41,000-strong
pro-Kambosos crowd at an electric Marvel Stadium.
All three judges scored in Haney’s favor, 116-112,
116-112, and 118-110.
“This is a dream come true,” said Haney, who got a
big boost on the eve of the fight when his father and lead trainer Bill was
granted an 11th-hour visa after initially being denied entry to Australia over
a three-decades-old drugs conviction.
“I knew this was a big moment, it would have hurt me
to win this without my dad so I’m glad he was here in my corner.
“I was comfortable,” added the 23-year-old. “I was
sticking to the game plan to hit and not get hit. I fought a smart fight. I
handicapped him of his best things.”
Victory in the
135-pound limit fight stretched his phenomenal record to 28-0 with 15 KOs while
Kambosos, 28, suffered his first professional defeat in 21 bouts since making
his professional debut in 2013.
The win elevates Haney to an exclusive club of
fighters.
He is only the eighth boxer to hold all four belts
from the major sanctioning bodies — WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO — at the same time.
The seven others are Bernard Hopkins (middleweight), Jermain
Taylor (middleweight), Terence Crawford (super lightweight), Oleksandr Usyk
(cruiserweight),
Josh Taylor (super lightweight), Saul Alvarez (super
middleweight), and Jermell Charlo (super welterweight).
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