The fight for the world title unification between George Kambosos Jr and American Devin Haney continues on Sunday after the Australian dramatically took the weight off the second time he asked for it.
In chaotic and explosive scenes at the Margaret Court Arena, Kambosos initially missed the 135-pound limit for the lightweight blockbuster, hitting the scales at 135.36 pounds.
But 70 minutes later, he returned after a hot shower and 134.46-pound “piss” to keep his dreams alive of becoming the first boxer in the 18-year era with four belts to unite the lightweight division. Kambosos then raised his arms triumphantly and gestured to Team Haney with a slit throat.
“Doesn’t change anything. It’s changing his mindset now. Believe me. Art of warfare. Deception,” Kambosos said. “Come on. More than ready. Let’s go. Let them believe that (a mistake). Everything is for a purpose, for a process. Believe me, tomorrow, just be there.”
Kambosos wanted to defend his three world title belts and take Haney’s WBC belt, but Kambosos even removed all his clothes when two guards tried to shield him from cameras with towels, but he was still over the limit on his first weigh-in attempt.
“Maybe I did it on purpose,” Kambosos said before explaining how he made the weight the second time around. “I peed, it’s that simple,” he said. “I have relaxed. I was about to drink a Greek coffee, but now that I’m on weight, I drink a Greek coffee.”
Amid much drama and raucous support for Sydney’s lightweight champion, who draws inspiration from a childhood bullied for being overweight, former champion Jeff Fenech labeled the miss “unprofessional”. However, he said it wouldn’t be long before Kambosos would fall below the limit.
“He’ll have a little sauna and a jump, it’s not a lot of weight, he’ll make it,” Fenech said before the Main Event. “For me you always come to check the weight on the official scale. He said he checked them at the hotel and they said he was on weight. A little disappointing. It is customary for you to go and check the official scales. While it doesn’t take that long (to put on weight), it can play with your head a bit.”
Officials begged fans not to storm the podium as Kambosos emerged for his second weight loss attempt, with many Greek supporters chanting their hero’s name. Haney weighed 134.92 pounds and slammed Kambosos, tweeting a clown emoji before calling the Australian a “bitch” and taunting his rival by saying “he sucked, he’s dry, I don’t know, it’s what it’s, we still have to go in there to fight.”
“I told him he wasn’t a real champion because real champions make weight. They don’t need to take multiple times to gain weight,” Haney told FightTV. “We trained for six to eight weeks to be prepared to gain weight on our first try, so I told him he’s not a real champion and that he is a bitch.
“He’s crazy about it. He is angry that he did not reach the weight, so he tries to do everything he can to lose weight. At the end of the day we will fight tomorrow whether he arrives or not.”
When the fighters faced each other one last time, Kambosos’ father Jim almost physically collided with members of Haney’s entourage. It was Jim who took the famous 12-year-old George to Rockdale Police Citizens Youth Club to lose weight. Kambosos rose soon after, turning pro at age 18 and winning the NSW title in his third fight and the Australian belt in his sixth.
Despite the weigh-in shenanigans, it’s clear that the unification would still have continued at Marvel Stadium even if Kambosos didn’t make it. However, the Sydney slugger would have been stripped of his belts regardless of the outcome.
Meanwhile, Haney’s trainer, father Bill, has reportedly been granted a visa and will be on a frenzied flight from Las Vegas to Melbourne for the fight. Bill Haney was originally denied a visa over a 30-year drug conviction that forced the boxer to hire Zab’s father Yoel Judah as his trainer.
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