Via Sean Jones: Teddy Atlas expects former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr to improve on his previous record against Devin Haney from last June when he faced him on October 16 in a rematch at Rod Laver. Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Atlas felt that Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) would study the first match against Haney (28-0, 15 KOs), and that he would correct the flaws he showed in the match. there.
It was clear that Kambosos had done something wrong. He lets Haney control the skirmish from afar with his jab, and he makes very little effort in getting close to knock out his shots.
It seems the Kambosos is afraid to put pressure on Haney in the way that he needs to in order for him to land and have a chance to win.
We’ve seen older fighters within their range to land Haney, but not Kambosos. He doesn’t adjust and allows Haney to dominate the fight.
Kambosos was supposed to retire if he lost the battle. When you hear that from a gladiator, it is a sign that they are no longer interested in fighting.
Whatever motives and ambitions Kambosos once had, his loss to Haney seems to have taken it away from him. It’s interesting that after just one loss, Kambosos’ motivation was stripped.
“He agreed to go to Australia, and he agreed to a rematch. He has no choice but to hit the rematch immediately,” said Teddy Atlas The struggletalks about Devin Haney needing to give George Kambosos Jr an immediate rematch in Australia after beating him last June.
“He lived up to his agreement. It goes beyond his skill set. He kept his word. He [Haney] Atlas said.
Well, unless Kambosos delivers the same performance he did against Teofimo Lopez, he is headed for a second consecutive defeat at the hands of Haney.
To be fair, Kambosos would be picked out by Haney if he chose to stay outside all night. I don’t know why Kambosos did it as he now knows that he has no chance of defeating Haney if he lets him lead the fight by staying within range and rushing in.
Atlas said of Haney: “This guy is a pro player and the best boxer. “That’s what he is. He’s not going to go out and blow you up with TNT or anything like that. He’ll catch you, but he’s not a TNT puncher. Tank Davis is a TNT puncher.
“What scares me is that he [Haney] sometimes keep his head in the air for a bit. Sometimes you can ask him out. He is ahead of Kambosos. I like Kambosos very much. He’s a real fighter,” Atlas said.
Haney was injured in fights with Jorge Linares and Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz. Those guys threw a lot of punches, and they nailed Haney often enough to make him stagger. However, I don’t think Kambosos is in the same league as those two fighters, which is why he didn’t injure Haney.
“Kambosos might be a bit behind him when it comes to skill levels, ability levels, and some areas of pure ability, maybe. Kambosos, I like him a lot,” Atlas said.
“Kambosos, his job is timely. Time can beat speed. He used his time against Teofimo Lopez, a big boxer, and he dropped Teofimo because he timed him. I timed him and found he could hit him with his right hand.
“That tells me something. It tells me he has a brain. I already know that Haney has a brain, but he should be better the second time around. Kambosos, a guy who depends on time, not speed.
“He doesn’t have that skill level where he can depend on his pure ability, his genetics. He has to do it in other ways. He has to think and get over it,” Atlas said of Kambosos Jr.
“He has some other skill sets. They come in handy when someone is faster than you and has higher genetic skills than you.
“What it says, I think he’ll be better the second time around because he’ll study what he did wrong. He will see it because he knows that he needs to help himself in areas that he cannot depend on, only his material possessions.
“He will go to the closet. He would go to the cinema and say, ‘I have to calculate more time and do more work and sooner. I can’t let Haney get off track. He caught on, and I couldn’t break that rhythm.
“I had to break that rhythm with my timing like I did with Teofimo when I won the world championship, and I turned the world upside down. No one expected me to win.
“‘Now, no one expects me to win again.” You always know he’s good as an underdog. He fights well in that position. Some people fight better as the underdog. They always have to overcome to do that.
“They don’t have the skills to do it based on physical ability. I think it will suit him in the rematch. He will see these things that he has to be a little bit better at, a lot better at, and a lot sooner.
“I think that, unlike some of our friends, he will take constructive criticism. He never had that ability. He’s never had anyone say, ‘You’re the coolest person since sliced bread and Coca-Cola came together.’
“He never had that. You have to go and get it another way. So I think he’ll be more inclined to look at things that look like warts and see things that none of us like to look at.
“I think that will give him a better fight. I think he will have a better fight. I still pick Haney, but I think he’ll have a better fight,” Atlas said.
