By Mike Coppinger
and Nick Parkinson
March 28, 2022
Source: ESPN
Photo Source: David Becker/Getty Images
Devin Haney, above will face George Kambosos Jr. in June for all major lightweight world titles.
After a slow start to the year, the boxing schedule heats up starting next month. April 9 really kicks the action off and features a number of big fights, including the return of Ryan Garcia, Mikaela Mayer and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Golovkin's stakes are high as the middleweight champion could finally land the fight he's been waiting for: a trilogy against nemesis Canelo Alvarez. Golovkin faces fellow champ Ryota Murata in his first fight in 16 months. Murata himself hasn't stepped inside the ring since December 2019. Can Golovkin KO Murata and gain momentum ahead of the Alvarez fight?
A bit further down the road we'll finally get the bout to end the discussion about the undisputed lightweight championship between George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney. Kambosos, owner of the WBO, IBF and WBA belts, and the "franchise" WBC titleholder, will face Haney, the WBC champion, on June 5 in Australia. Former lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko was in line to face Kambosos but he decided to stay in Ukraine to fight for his country. Will Haney seize the moment? And how about Teofimo Lopez Jr. -- the fighter that Kambosos took the titles from -- can he be the next king at 140 pounds?
Heavyweight Anthony Joshua exercised his right to a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk after losing his belts in September, but the fight appeared to be in jeopardy after Usyk enlisted in his home country of Ukraine's territorial defense battalion. Usyk has since left Ukraine and announced on social media Friday that he is getting ready for the fight, but will their timeframes line up? Will he still be Joshua's next opponent?
Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson separate what's real and what's not.
Coppinger: Real. Even before Lomachenko decided to remain in Ukraine rather than head to Australia for the fight, Haney was the most appealing option.
After all, Haney broke out in 2021 with decision wins over former champions Jorge Linares and Joseph Diaz Jr., cementing his status as a rising star. At just 23, and already boasting an impressive social media following, Haney had a genuine chance to establish himself as a bonafide attraction.
A victory over Kambosos in Australia will bring him to stardom, and he has the ESPN platform to push him to the next level. If Haney can emerge undisputed, he could find himself in a very lucrative rematch with Kambosos, and/or a tantalizing matchup with Lomachenko next year, the fight Haney wanted all along.
Now that he's aligned with Top Rank and ESPN, a fight with Lopez at 140 is also a real possibility in 2023. But first, he needs to beat Kambosos on hostile ground.
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