Devin Haney may not be able to fight Vasyl Lomachenko next after weighing in for his rematch with George Kambosos Jr.
“The Dream” made the weight under the 135-pound limit at 134.8. However, comments came thick and fast regarding Haney’s appearance.
“Haney looks very gaunt, but Kambosos looked strong. A good chance of an upset after seeing the weigh-in,” said one.
Another added: “Haney looked gaunt at the final face-off/weigh-in. What it means – who is to say?”
A third stated: “Wow, Haney looks awful.”
Gaunt Devin Haney is ’50 Cent thin’
In other digs at Haney being drained, a few stated jokingly that the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF lightweight champion ‘looked 50 Cent thin’ in reference to when the rapper lost lots of weight for a movie role.
No matter what the outcome is at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night, this could be Haney’s final fight at 135 pounds. His belts could be gone within a week if Haney admits he can no longer make the weight.
A planned fight with Vasyl Lomachenko is also under threat.
Fox Sports Australia’s Warren Smith predicted Haney endured a terrible 24 hours to get below the lightweight limit.
“Compared to June, the difference in the appearance of the undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney was stark at today’s weigh-in.
“Lots of talk of having to lose a significant amount of weight in the last 24 hours. The effort may have been draining.”
Devin Haney focused on victory
Haney is looking to put on a show against Kambosos, as he did in the first fight, and will worry about the aftermath when it comes.
“The name of the game is to hit and not get hit. I’m a student of the game. So, that’s what I follow.
“I might be one of the best defensive fighters in boxing. But on the 16th, I’ll look to show more offense.”
On a lack of trash-talking between the pair this time around, Haney added: “They’ve been quiet. But every time they open their mouth, it’s a different excuse.
“They talk this quiet stuff, but they keep making up excuses. Now it’s the coach. Then it was the referee because I was holding.
“Every excuse in the book. But why did you fire your whole team? Why did you fire your whole team if you felt like I was holding too much?”
Concluding on the Loma fight, Haney wouldn’t mention the possibility of moving up to 140.
“There are a lot of big fights out there to be made. I’ve been calling out Loma for a while,” he pointed out.
“But my main focus is on getting past George Kambosos. Then we can talk about what’s next.”
George Kambosos Jr
Kambosos Jr., who also didn’t look too good on the scales, is eyeing a shock to regain his belts.
“I’m physically and mentally focused on this fight right now. Nothing else matters. The changes have been made,” the Australian-Greek boxer stated.
“You learn from your losses. You come back a better fighter. So, I’ve made my changes. I’ve looked at certain things.
“I’ve gone back to my roots as well. We’re just focused. I’m not going to give anything away. We’ll see who laughs last.”
On what Haney does well, Kambosos added: “He’s got a fantastic jab. But we have put in fantastic work to not only evade his jab.
“But whatever he tries to bring. It doesn’t matter. Did I let him jab too much? He’s got a great jab. But that’s why boxing is the sweet science.”
Devin Haney vs George Kambosos Jr II weights
• Devin Haney 134.8 vs. George Kambosos Jr. 134
(Haney’s Undisputed Lightweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
Judges: Leszek Jankowiak, Manuel Oliver Palomo and Craig Metcalfe
Referee: Katsuhiko Nakamura
(ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
• Jason Moloney 117.8 lbs vs. Nawaphon Kaikanha 117.3 lbs
(WBC Bantamweight World Title Final Eliminator — 12 Rounds)
• Andrew Moloney 114.7 lbs vs. Norbelto Jimenez 114.9 lbs
(Vacant WBO International Junior Bantamweight Title — 10 Rounds)
• Cherneka Johnson 121 lbs vs. Susie Ramadan 119.3 lbs
(Johnson’s IBF Junior Featherweight World Title — 10 Rounds)
(OFF TV, 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
• Hemi Ahio 243.3 lbs vs. Faiga Opelu 223.8 lbs
(Heavyweight— 8 Rounds)
• David Nyika 199.7 lbs vs. Titi Motusaga 196.9 lbs
(Cruiserweight— 6 Rounds)
• Lorenzo Simpson 159.2 lbs vs. Marcus Heywood 159.8 lbs
(Middleweight — 8/6 Rounds)
• Amari Jones 160.4 lbs vs. Tej Pratap Singh 160.8 lbs
(Middleweight — 6 Rounds)
(SWING BOUT)
• John Mannu 139.3 lbs vs. Adrian Sosa 137.8 lbs
(Junior Welterweight — 6/5 Rounds)
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