It takes a special fighter to travel to the other side of the world in the pursuit of undisputed boxing glory.
And it takes something even more to return for a second time to put the title of undisputed lightweight champion on the line again.
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But Devin Haney has done it all at just 23 years of age.
Haney’s first fight against Kambosos was as dominant as he could have asked for, pawing away at ‘Ferocious’ with a metronomic jab for 12 rounds.
The second meeting between the pair was equally as dominant on the scorecards, but by his own admission, Haney proved he’s “a complete fighter”.
“This one I showed my jab, I showed my right hand, I showed my hook, I showed my ring generalship, I showed it all,” Haney said in his post-fight press conference.
“I showed I’m just a complete fighter and there’s not one way that you could beat Devin Haney or there’s not just one style I could beat you in.”
Brutal KO gets Paro close to title shot | 00:44
MORE COVERAGE
‘Opens up some doors’: Hidden message proving ‘warrior’ Kambosos isn’t done yet
‘How is he standing?’ Kambosos falls in ‘bloody’ war as Haney foils his master plan
‘So much fight in you’: Touching moment shows champ’s huge respect for Kambosos
For Kambosos Jr., there was little he could do to stop ‘The Dream’.
The 29-year-old came flying out of the blocks in the first round, switching between southpaw and orthodox stances in an attempt to throw Haney off his game.
But Haney adjusted almost instantly without any direction from his father, Bill.
It’s a mark of the champion’s ability and something that Kambosos Jr. simply couldn’t reply to.
“This guy’s a pound-for-pounder, this guy is a hell of a fighter,” Kambosos Jr. said.
“I don’t know how much longer he has at 135 [pounds]. He’s big, he’s rangy, he’s just a good fighter, man.”
Hearing Kambosos Jr. call him a “pound-for-pounder” would have been music to Haney’s ears as he eagerly awaits the next update of The Ring magazine’s pound-for-pound list.
Haney copped a brutal snub when he was not named on the list after beating Kambosos Jr. in June, with Vasiliy Lomachenko in the top ten despite not being the undisputed king of the lightweights.
But with a second victory against ‘Ferocious’ in a display that the world witnessed, Haney firmly believes there can be no questioning his credentials anymore from those involved in formulating the lists.
Haney v Kambosos 2 – Full Highlights | 04:19
“They say that the pound for pound rankings is not just wins or whatever, it’s skill set,” Haney said.
“I showed that I have all the skills, I’m a versatile fighter, I can do it all. And I’m the youngest world champion in boxing.
“All of that speaks for itself and if I wasn’t on the pound for pound list before, I definitely should be now.”
However, one list Haney might not be on for much longer is that of the 135 pounders.
Haney admitted the lightweight limit is “not an easy weight class” to make and as he gets older, DiBella expects ‘The Dream’ “getting stronger at 25, 26 27”.
It’s inevitable he moves up to the 140-pound division but it’s only a question of when that takes place.
But Haney still has business to take care of before he makes the jump, as fights against Lomachenko, Ryan Garcia or Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis could await.
“Like I said, 135 is not easy for me to make,” Haney said.
“It takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline, but I’m going to go back and talk to my team.
“It’s a lot of big fights at 135, a lot of big money at 135 so we’ll see what’s next but it’s likely for me to stay.”
‘What the f*** are you doing?!’ | 00:31
With all that Haney has accomplished in his young career, the discussion surrounding him flits between how good he is right now and how good he can be.
Former world champion Mickey Bey told foxsports.com.au that Haney dreams of being at “the Mayweather level”, an extremely lofty ambition.
But Lou DiBella’s concession proves that it’s not as far-fetched as the world might think.
“When we watch fights sometimes, and you used to watch Mayweather and he would quietly destroy guys and beat their spirit and win almost every round and people would go, ‘Oh, that’s boring,’” DiBella said.
“But here’s the reality too and you saw this tonight. When you open up against a guy like this, when you open up against a guy like Floyd, one of the best ever, when you open up against a guy like Shakur Stevenson that’s a similar kind of almost-perfect boxer, you open yourself up to get beaten up.
“Tonight, George came there knowing he had to earn his fanbase back, he had to entertain the people of Australia. He knew probably he was walking into a tornado, and he did it anyway, which is credit to him.
“But then you also saw what happened when he had a guy that was coming right at him and willing to throw caution to the wind.
“He hurt him pretty badly and beat him up, and that’s the greatness of a guy like this and the greatness of a Floyd Mayweather. You notice I’m using them in the same breath and that’s not accidental.”
