George Kambosos vs Devin Haney: WBC Lightweight Title Betting Preview
Article By
Last Updated: 
Boxing Betting Tips:
The big boxing event this weekend features undisputed lightweight champ George Kambosos Jr taking on unbeaten American hotshot Devin Haney at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Betting sites are struggling to separate the pair of master boxers, but there is plenty of value across the main markets for the mega match-up Down Under.
How Kambosos and Haney Got Here
Kambosos wasn’t particularly well known before his break-out world title fight against Teofimo Lopez in November last year. The Australian 135-pounder was becoming established on the scene after solid split decision wins over fringe world-level operators Lee Selby and Mickey Bey, but he was still better known for being the sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao.
Going into the fight with Lopez, Kambosos was a huge underdog, but he managed to deck the reigning unified champ at the very end of the first round. In the following rounds, Kambosos was the busier and more accurate boxer before Lopez came on strong in the final few stanzas - the late rally wasn’t enough and George came away with the win and all the titles.
While Kambosos was grafting in Australia, Haney was a heralded youth amateur notching up notable wins in national and international competitions. Rather than go for the Olympics, Haney and his father - who also trains him - decided on the unusual option to turn pro in Mexico at the age of 17 - the talented Californian had racked up 11 wins before his 18th birthday.
Devin continued to score frequent wins in 2017, and in 2018 and 2019 he moved on to top 20-level opposition. In his last three fights Haney has defeated three former champions by wide margins, but the fight this weekend will be his first against a current titleholder.
The best online boxing betting sites make the champion, ‘Ferocious’ Kambosos, a 2.4 underdog while ‘The Dream’ Haney is widely available at 1.62.
Kambosos vs Haney To End In A Draw Is Good Value
Betfair are offering the best price for the fight to go the distance at just 1.33. The odds are understandable given that Kambosos has won on points in four of his last five fights and Haney’s last four victories have come via decision.
Neither man will want to give much away in the early rounds and it could be a tense, tactical bout in the opening exchanges. Both George, 28, and Devin, 23, are attacking boxers by nature, and we’ll see demonstrations of rapid combinations, smart footwork and a desire to have the last word in every encounter.
Close quality fights are always hard to score, and with the three judges sitting on opposite sides of the ring it can be easy for the officials to see things slightly differently. Kambosos has a history of close contests and this is Haney’s toughest fight to date – the draw can be found at 17.0 with Ladbrokes.
Haney Can Overcome Troubles
Although many people just lean towards Haney in terms of skill, the young American undoubtedly has more hurdles to overcome. For starters, Haney has had to travel to southern Australia for this fight instead of competing at arenas in the US or just over the border in Tijuana like in the rest of his career.
On top of that, Haney will have to deal with an almost completely pro-Kambosos crowd numbering in the region of 50 thousand - it will be by far the largest and most partisan mob Devin has ever encountered.
The biggest hurdle for Haney is that his father-trainer hasn’t been able to travel with him. But despite all this the challenger has appeared calm and confident.
There is no doubt Kambosos deserves huge credit for beating Teofimo but there are strong suspicions that the former champ wasn’t fully fit that night. Haney also has one big advantage that Lopez didn’t have - a longer reach.
After a few tight rounds we might find that Haney can use his length to land the harder shots more often. Despite illness and a rocky start, Lopez managed to floor Kambosos in the 10th round of their bout – the huge 23.0 odds for Haney to win in rounds 9-10 will appeal to a lot of savvy boxing punters this weekend.
Haney Can KO Kambosos
The bet for ‘The Dream’ to win in rounds 9-10 doesn’t leave much margin for error, so a safer bet is for Haney to win by KO at 6.5.
Haney has a mediocre KO ratio of 55% but that statistic doesn’t reflect the fact that he had so many fights at a young age against fully grown men. Although the American hasn’t scored many stoppage wins in his recent contests, he has been regularly wobbling and dropping opponents, and it appears his “man strength” is coming through.
Kambosos is a top fighter but Haney is regarded by many to be a special talent, and the price for Haney to win by KO seems to be generous.
Stay In The Loop With Free Bets, Insider Tips & More!
Live Betting. Sports Promos. Sent Weekly.
Updated by
Last Updated:
