Devin Haney dethrones George Kambosos to become undisputed lightweight champion

Devin Haney became the undisputed lightweight champion on Sunday afternoon at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, with a unanimous-decision victory over George Kambosos on ESPN.

Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) used his excellent jab to dictate the pace en route to the win via scores of 116-112, 118-110 and 116-112. Now, the 23-year-old from Las Vegas owns all four 135-pound titles after the dominant performance against ESPN's No. 1 lightweight.

Kambosos, a 28-year-old from Sydney, Australia, can choose to exercise his contractual right to an immediate rematch with Haney later this year in Australia.

Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) won the titles in November when he dethroned Teofimo Lopez in ESPN's Upset of the Year. He floored Lopez in Round 1 and survived a knockdown in Round 10 to earn the split-decision victory.

Afterward, Kambosos called for the biggest fights possible in the star-laden lightweight division rather than the usual victory lap many new champions enjoy. He was ringside for not only Haney's decision win over Joseph Diaz Jr., the following week but also Gervonta Davis' victory over Isaac Cruz.

Ultimately, Kambosos engaged in negotiations with Vasiliy Lomachenko and there was a deal in place. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, Lomachenko decided to remain in the war-torn country with his family and passed on the fight.

Enter Haney, who was embroiled in a dispute with Kambosos and much of the boxing world over the legitimacy of his title. Haney was elevated from interim champion to WBC titleholder in October 2019, while Lomachenko, who held the WBC's lightweight belt, was designated the franchise champion. «It's a title to basically duck your mandatory,» Haney told ESPN in May.

Finally, Haney grabbed his chance to «put a