Friday, June 3rd 2022
Press Conference Notes: Undisputed Showdown Awaits for George Kambosos Jr. & Devin Haney
Kambosos-Haney goes down SATURDAY (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) at Marvel Stadium LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
MELBOURNE, Australia (June 3, 2022) — Most of the trash talk is over. It is nearly time. WBO/IBF/WBA lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 KOs) and WBC champion Devin Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) are two days away from their showdown for the undisputed title at Marvel Stadium. The fight, Sunday local time and airing Saturday evening in the United States, is one of the biggest bouts ever on Australian soil.
More than 40,000 fans are expected, as the 23-year-old Haney attempts to make history more than 8,000 miles from home. Kambosos, from Sydney, Australia, is back home and attempting to score his second straight upset following last November’s title-winning thriller over Teofimo Lopez.
In the 10-round co-feature, Australian two-time bantamweight title challenger Jason “Mayhem” Moloney will battle Filipino standout Aston Palicte. The ESPN-televised opener will be a 10-round battle of big men between New Zealand-born heavyweight Junior Fa and Australian Lucas Browne. Kambosos-Haney, Moloney-Palicte and Fa-Browne will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT).
At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.
George Kambosos Jr.
“It has been a long, hard journey. Everyone knows that, but I’m ready for Sunday. All the tough moments have gotten me ready for Sunday, and I will shock the world again. Underdog? Beautiful. We are ready.”
“I’ve been through it all, so whatever comes to the table on Sunday, we’ll be ready. We’ll be fully prepared. We are warriors. Whatever way we have to go, we are prepared.”
On the mental warfare against Haney
“I’m just having fun. I’m enjoying the moment. I’m just talking the truth. If it has or hasn’t affected him, so be it. We’ll step in there on Sunday, and that’s where it matters.”
“I have visualized victory by any means. I have manifested everything, every part of this journey. They said that we would never be here, but only two people really believed it, me and my father. So, I manifested my victory, and I visualize victory by any means on Sunday.”
“I love the underdog status. They’ve been against me my whole career. They’ve been saying that my whole career. I’m still the top dog, and after Sunday, I’ll remain the top dog.”
Devin Haney
“This is the biggest stage, but this is something that I have dreamed of. I knew that one day I would be here, but I didn’t think that it would come this early, but I’m thankful. It’s time.”
“I knew that he would try anything that he can to try to throw me off my game or get me unfocused. But he can say what he wants to say, because regardless I’m going to do what I do when we step into the ring. I will come out victorious by any means.”
“A win would be very satisfying because that means I did it against all odds, even when things weren’t working in my favor. They were trying to do anything they can to put me at a disadvantage. But when I come out on top, it’s going to be that much sweeter. I look forward to bringing the belts back and showing my dad what we accomplished together.”
“I feel like I’m the far better fighter. I have far more skills than him. I will show him on Sunday. It’s for me to show in the ring. The betting odds really don’t matter because I will show you no matter what they say. I’m levels above him.”
Bob Arum
“This should be a terrific match. These two young men are at the top of their game. They each have a lot of pride. George Kambosos beat Teofimo Lopez, a fight he was not expected to win based on the so-called experts, but he won that fight and won all of these belts. Devin Haney is one of our bright young fighters in the United States who has attracted a lot of attention and always gives a great performance. Both guys are undefeated. This is what boxing is all about, and it should be a terrific match.”
Lou DiBella
“George Kambosos holds most of the titles. He’s earned this. He beat Teofimo Lopez. He’s taken every challenge put in front of him. At times, he’s fought in front of nobody. He’s traveled the world and has fought on other people’s territory time after time in order to get the opportunity to be the undisputed champion. And now he’ll have the opportunity to gather every belt if he can beat Devin Haney.”
“Devin Haney is a warrior and a guy who wants those belts. He is willing to take a challenge and willing to get on an airplane and go halfway around the world, even without this dad, because he understands the importance of this moment and what this opportunity means.”
Jason Moloney
“This is a massive opportunity for me. A win over him will get me another opportunity to fight for a world title. I’m just so excited, and I’m so grateful to be a part of this show. Being a part of his event has been tremendous, and it just gives me more hunger. It gives me more determination to collect those belts and to one day headline shows myself at Marvel Stadium. This is a must-win fight for me if I want to achieve my dreams and become Australia’s next world champion. I’ve worked extremely hard, and I’m ready to get the job done.”
Aston Palicte
“I’m so happy and excited to be a part of Kambosos vs. Haney. Kambosos was my running mate for Manny Pacquiao’s last fight in Las Vegas. Thank you to Team Moloney for choosing me. I’ve trained hard for this fight. Moloney is a good fighter, and I’m a good fighter, too. This is a good fight.”
Junior Fa
“Your next fight is always your biggest fight. This is basically where I’m at, and it’s such a huge stage. I’m sitting here and there are belts all over the place. And it’s all really, really cool. But I’m pretty sure that our fight is for a belt, too, and I noticed Lucas didn’t bring his belt. Hopefully, he doesn’t forget it on Sunday because I’ve made room for it in my baggage for the way back home.”
Lucas Browne
“I’m 43 years old. I’ve got three or four more fights to go. I want to solidify my career, and I want to take good fights. I don’t want to take a fight where I’m just there to roll someone over. Junior Fa and Joseph Parker have been on the radar for many years. Obviously, it’s a good little rivalry between Australia and New Zealand. So, for me, it makes sense that I fight Junior now.”
Jason Moloney vs. Aston Palicte, 10 rounds, Moloney’s WBC Silver and Vacant WBO International Bantamweight Titles
Junior Fa vs. Lucas Browne, 10 rounds, Browne’s WBA Oceania Heavyweight Title
SWING BOUT: Hemi Ahio vs. Christian Ndzie Tsoye, 8/6 rounds, heavyweight
SWING BOUT: David Nyika vs. Karim Maatalla, 6/4 rounds, cruiserweight
Andrew Moloney vs. Alexander Espinoza, 8 rounds, bantamweight
Taylah Robertson vs. Sarah Higginson, 5 rounds, flyweight
Yoel Angeloni vs. Ken Aitken, 4 rounds, welterweight
SWING BOUT: Luke Gersbeck vs. Isaias Sette, 4 rounds, junior middleweight
Event Name: George Kambosos Jr. vs. Devin Haney — Press Conference
Date: Friday, June 3, 2022
Link to Images on Getty: CLICK HERE
ABOUT DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT
In May of 2000, Lou DiBella launched DiBella Entertainment (DBE), a full-service sports and entertainment company, which has become one of the most successful promotional entities in boxing. Serving as matchmaker, television distributor, marketing advisor, and promoter, DiBella has developed an exciting stable of championship caliber, world-class fighters, such as Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Micky Ward, Deontay Wilder, and George Kambosos, among others. DBE clearly established itself as an industry leader with the successful launch of its monthly-televised “Broadway Boxing” series in November 2003. Prior to becoming a promoter, DiBella held an 11-year tenure as the Senior Vice President of HBO Sports. While at HBO, DiBella created and established the highly successful “Boxing After Dark” series, which featured some of the sport’s greatest fights. He is also a well-known fixture in the film industry, having worked as an Executive Producer for the film “Love Ranch”, as an Associate Producer on “The Fighter”, and making his acting debut in “Rocky Balboa”. He also produced or executive produced numerous documentaries, such as Viva Baseball!, Magic Man, Maravilla, Larry Flynt for President, and Tapia. The President and Managing General Partner for the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team, DiBella proudly wears his 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series rings, as his team is the class AA affiliate to the San Francisco Giants. In 2017, DiBella also became the CEO and Managing Owner of the Montgomery Biscuits baseball team, the AA-affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. DiBella was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 and will be inducted in June 2022, as well as the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Wembley Arena, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.
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