Devin Haney dominates George Kambosos Jr., becomes the undisputed lightweight champion

Devin Haney became the undisputed lightweight champion Sunday afternoon at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia with a unanimous decision win over George Kambosos on ESPN.

Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) used his excellent jab to dictate the pace en route to victory by scores of 116-112, 118-110 and 116-112. Now, the 23-year-old from Las Vegas owns all four 135-pound titles after the dominant performance against ESPN’s No. 1 lightweight.

Kambosos, a 28-year-old from Sydney, Australia, may choose to exercise his contractual right to an immediate rematch with Haney later this year in Australia.

Read the full summary here…

Official dashboards: 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110.

Round 12: Close the round as Kambosos makes one last push, but it’s a formality. Haney too sharp, too good. He wins the final round and the fight. Now we will see if the judges agree. 10-9, Haney. 118-110, Haney.

Round 11: Haney uses the jab to take on Kambosos, who charges hard, and lands some solid shots, but Haney makes him pay this time when he misses. 10-9, Haney. 108-101, Haney.

Round 10: George Kambosos continues to press forward in an attempt to land a big punch. He is doing his best job of the fight in the later stages. 10-9, Kambosos. 98-92, Haney.

Round 9: Kambosos ultimately wins a round on this card. He is pressing harder and breaking through with some effective shots. Haney’s right eye is now swollen. Haney faded in wins over Linares and Diaz. Can Kambosos recover? 10-9, Kambosos. 89-82, Haney.

Round 8: George Kambosos starting to push harder. He is being overpowered, but it seems his will is still as strong as ever. He needs to land something big and fast. 10-9, Haney. 80-72, Haney.

Round 7: Kambosos’s face really shows the effects of Haney’s attack now. Haney’s face, meanwhile, is clean. Haney dominating. 10-9, Haney. 70-63, Haney.

Round 6: George Kambosos lands a strong left hook, but before he can follow, Devin Haney wisely ties him up. Kambosos’ left eye is now swollen and red. Haney in control at the halfway point. 10-9, Haney. 60-54, Haney.

Round 5: Dare I say this is starting to look like a classic Floyd Mayweather performance? Haney, round after round, controlling the action with his excellent jab and dictating rhythm. Kambosos has no answers so far. He just can’t get into that jab. 10-9, Haney. 50-45, Haney.

Round 4: Devin Haney now starts to follow the jab with his right hand. George Kambosos’s eyes begin to swell a bit. He needs to land something early to earn Haney’s respect and upset the fight. 10-9, Haney. 40-36, Haney.

Round 3: Tactical fight so far. Haney’s jab and general defensive skills are too much for Kambosos through three. Haney making him miss but not making him pay. 10-9, Haney. 30-27, Haney.

Round 2: Haney continues to control the action with the jab. He’s changing levels beautifully with the lead jab, and he’s disrupting Kambosos’ rhythm. The unified champion connected with a couple of sharp left hands, but not enough. 10-9, Haney. 20-18, Haney.

Round 1: Devin Haney sets up his excellent jab early on and often equalizes George Kambosos Jr., who goes for the looping right hand, the same punch that dropped Teofimo Lopez in the first round in November. 10-9, Haney.

The fight is next!

Legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer is doing fighter introductions. First Haney, then Kambosos.

Devin Haney is already in the ring. George Kambosos Jr. makes his way flanked by the flags of Australia and Greece.

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Results:

Moloney stops Palicte with a brutal third-round TKO

Jason Moloney, after four fights in America, returned to Australia with a statement.

The 31-year-old boxer scored a third-round TKO over Aston Palicte in a bantamweight bout, George Kambosos Jr.’s main support bout against Devin Haney.

Moloney (24-2, 19 KOs) dropped Palicte with a short right hand before a flurry of shots prompted referee Ignatius Missailidis to intervene as Palicte was going down for the second time. The stoppage time was at 2:35.

The twin brother of Andrew Moloney, who was also set to compete on this card, Jason Moloney is ranked No. 7 by ESPN at bantamweight. The win was Moloney’s third in a row since a seventh-round KO loss to unified champion Naoya Inoue in 2020.

Palicte (28-5-1, 23 KOs), a 31-year-old Filipino, lost for the third time in six fights.

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Browne achieves an unmissable KO in the first round over Fa

Lucas Browne, 43, delivered a stunning result with a first-round TKO of fringe heavyweight contender Junior Fa.

Browne, who hails from Australia, sent Fa crashing to the canvas with an overhand right hand to the ear, then finished Fa with another single right hand to the head.

Browne (31-3, 27 KOs) earned the biggest win of his career in 2016 when he scored a 10th-round TKO of a faded version of Ruslan Chagaev, but has lost three fights from the distance since then, including a TKO in the first assault. last year to Officer Paul Gallen.

Fa (19-2, 10 KOs), a 32-year-old New Zealander, was competing for the first time since losing a decision to former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in February 2021.

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Nickolas and Higgins fight for a majority draw

Lachlan Higgins and Terry Nickolas fought to a majority draw in a six-round junior middleweight bout.

One judge scored the fight for Higgins, 58-56, but it was overturned on two counts of 57-57.

Higgins (7-4-2, 2 KO) and Nickolas (2-1-1, 2 KO) squared off in an exciting fight between two domestic-level fighters from Australia, but were unable to produce a winner. The fight was the final preliminary matchup before the main card begins.

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Robertson wins his flyweight debut

In a five-round women’s flyweight fight, Taylah Robertson improved to 5-1 (with 1 knockout) with a unanimous decision over Sarah Higginson. The three judges scored the match 50-45. It was Robertson’s first fight at 112 pounds.

Robertson, a 24-year-old Australian, will fight again in 10 days in her home country. Higginson, meanwhile, lost for the first time as a pro, falling to 3-1-1, 1 KO.

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Angeloni dominates Aitken in his pro debut

Yoel Angeloni made his successful professional debut with a unanimous decision victory over Ken Aitken in a four-round welterweight bout.

The 18-year-old was forced to deal with a nasty cut above his left eye following a clash of heads. He was a member of the Cuban Junior National Team before continuing his amateur career in Italy, where he now resides.

Angeloni, who is promoted by Lou DiBella, prevailed through scorecards of 39-37, 39-37 and 40-36. Atken (3-1, 1 KO) suffered the first loss of his career.

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Junior lightweight Pom Thanawut Phetkum defeated Hussein Fayad by unanimous decision with scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 40-36.