George Kambosos Jr. kicked off the mental warfare with Devin Haney at the announcement Friday (Thursday in the U.S.) of the pair’s undisputed lightweight world title fight.
IBF, WBA and WBO champion Kambosos will take on WBC king Haney at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on June 5, with both looking to become the division’s first undisputed champion in the four-belt era.
Australia’s Kambosos effectively managed to lure former champion Teofimo Lopez into an emotional fight when he took his belts back in November and the 28-year-old appears set to try similar tactics on Haney.
During the press conference in which Haney and his father, Bill, called in from Las Vegas, Kambosos prodded the 23-year-old several times.
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"He says he will finish this fight as a king. What’s a king to an emperor?" Kambosos asked.
"I respect it, he's a good kid, but just know that we chose you, we looked for the biggest fight. I could have fought anybody, there’s a reason why [we chose you]," he added.
Haney, 27-0 as a professional, took issue with being called a “kid.”
"I'm not a kid, so he can stop calling me a kid," Haney said. "I'm a man and I will show him that in the ring. Respect me as a man. If he doesn’t respect me as a man, I’ll gain the respect in the ring.
"He can say that he chose me but that’s not the truth, he was forced into this fight, he did not want to fight me."
Kambosos then told host Eddie McGuire he believed Haney was getting "upset."
"I want to see that energy when you step in here on June 5 with me," Kambosos jabbed.
"What am I going to be upset about?" Haney replied. "I'm about to become undisputed, this is a dream come true for me, what am I going to be upset about?"
As part of the deal, Haney has agreed to a rematch in Australia should he win on June 5. If Kambosos wins, he’ll be free to take on another challenger.
"I trust in my skills so much. I’ll fight you anywhere," Haney said. "I'll fight you in your backyard if I had to, because I know that I’m going to beat you."
Asked how he’ll defeat the 20-0 Kambosos, Haney said he’ll neutralize his weapons.
"I’ll go in there and handicap George of the things that he does best," Haney said. "I will take them away from him and make it an easy night. There will finally be a king in the lightweight division, and it will be me."
Asked whether Kambosos would be able to get under his son’s skin in the build-up, Haney’s father and trainer was confident the championship would be settled in the ring.
"I think that's just George’s personality. When the two men meet in the ring, it’s all about skills," Bill Haney said. "Nothing George can do or say can get Dev out of his character. It won’t be anything that’s going to disrupt him."
We can expect plenty more back and forth before these two meet.
