Australian boxer George Kambosos made the weight on his second attempt Saturday for his world lightweight unification title fight against American Devin Haney.
The U.S.-based Kambosos missed the 135-pound limit initially, weighing in at 135.36 pounds. He had two hours to return to the scales to ensure Sunday’s fight before an expected crowd of 50,000 at Marvel Stadium could officially go ahead.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: George Kambosos Jnr flexes on the scale during the weigh in with Devin Haney, ahead of the World Lightweight Undisputed Championship fight, at Margaret Court Arena on June 04, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
He returned 70 minutes later and weighed 134.36 pounds. He thrust his arms in the air once he made the weight and glared menacingly at Haney’s camp.
Looking to defend his three world titles in the division and take Haney’s prized WBC belt, Kambosos even removed all of his clothing during his first attempt but was still over the limit during the weigh-in at Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: Devin Haney flexes on the scale during the weigh in with George Kambosos Jnr, ahead of the World Lightweight Undisputed Championship fight, at Margaret Court Arena on June 04, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Haney weighed in successfully on his first attempt at 134.92 pounds and criticized Kambosos, tweeting a clown emoji.
“He ain’t made weight,” Haney said. “I’m a true champion and true champions makes weight.”
Kambosos, 28, holds the WBO, WBA, and IBF lightweight titles. He comes into the fight with an undefeated record of 20-0 with 10 KOs and won all three of his world titles when he beat Teofimo Lopez in 2019.
Haney is 23 and also has an undefeated record of 27-0 with 15 KOs. He also had an amateur record of 138-8 and turned pro at the age of 17.
Former Australian boxer Jeff Fenech, who won world titles in three weight classes, joked during his television commentary that “you should never trust hotel scales.”
Fenech later praised Kambosos for taking on such a strong fighter in his first bout in Australia in five years, but predicted Haney would win the 12-round fight.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: Junior Fa (L) and Lucas Browne (R) pose during the weigh in ahead of their heavyweight fight, at Margaret Court Arena on June 04, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Haney received good news on Saturday when his appeal against his trainer/father Bill’s initial denial of a visa had been approved.
“Of course I’m happy to have my dad but nothing changes,” Haney told FightTV. “I’ll still follow the same blueprint and do what we have to do to get the job done. Everything has just been working out in my favor and we’re ready to fight.”
Bill Haney was reported to be flying from Las Vegas to Melbourne to arrive in time for Sunday’s fight. When Bill Haney was originally denied a visa, his son called in Yoel Judah, the father of former American boxer Zab Judah, as his trainer.
Full weigh-in results:
George Kambosos Jr. 134.49 vs. Devin Haney 134.92
(Undisputed Lightweight World Title — 12 Rounds)
• Jason Moloney 117.6 lbs vs. Aston Palicte 117 lbs
(Moloney’s WBC Silver and Vacant WBO International Bantamweight Titles — 10 Rounds)
• Lucas Browne 261.02 lbs vs. Junior Fa 268.3 lbs
(Browne’s WBA Oceania and Vacant IBF International Heavyweight Titles — 10 Rounds)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: Jason Moloney (L) and Aston Palicte (R) pose during the weigh in ahead of their bantamweight fight, at Margaret Court Arena on June 04, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
(ESPN+, Following Main Event)
• Andrew Moloney 116.9 lbs vs. Alexander Espinoza 115.1 lbs
(Bantamweight— 8 Rounds)
• Amari Jones 159.2 lbs vs. Ankush Hooda 159.1 lbs
(Middleweight — 6 Rounds)
(ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT)
• Terry Nickolas 155.9 lbs vs. Lachlan Higgins 154.7 lbs
(Junior Middleweight — 6 Rounds)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: Andrew Moloney (L) and Alexander Espinoza (R) face-off during the weigh in ahead of their super flyweight fight, at Margaret Court Arena on June 04, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
• Taylah Robertson 111.6 lbs vs. Sarah Higginson 110.8 lbs
(Flyweight — 5 Rounds)
• Yoel Angeloni 146.9 lbs vs. Ken Aitken 146.3 lbs
(Welterweight — 4 Rounds)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 04: Amari Jones (L) and Ankush Hooda (R) pose during the weigh in ahead of their super welterweight fight, at Margaret Court Arena on June 04, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
SWING BOUTS
• Hemi Ahio 255.5 lbs vs.Christian Ndzie Tsoye 256.1 lbs
(Heavyweight — 8/6 Rounds)
• David Nyika 199.2 lbs vs. Karim Maatalla 199.8 lbs
(Cruiserweight — 6/4 Rounds)
• Isaias Sette 153 lbs vs. Luke Gersbeck 153.4 lbs
(Junior Middleweight — 4 Rounds)
Credit: AP
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