Kambosos vs Haney LIVE on ESPN SATURDAY @ 9 p.m. ET

Kambosos-Haney undisputed lightweight championship battle goes down @ Marvel Stadium and LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ SATURDAY @ 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Six days before undefeated lightweight champions George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney fight for the undisputed crown at Marvel Stadium, they came face-to-face for the first time. For more than five minutes, the two combatants talked trash. They did not come to blows, but the mental warfare was in full effect.

Fight week kicked off in style with an opening press conference at Culture Kings in Downtown Melbourne.

Unified champion Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) and WBC king Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) are set to do battle in one of the biggest boxing matches in Australian history. The Down Under showdown will be broadcast live in the United States in prime time this Saturday (Sunday local time) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

This is some of what Kambosos and Haney had to say during a manic Monday in Melbourne.

George Kambosos Jr.

“This is amazing. This is what the sport is about, and I made this happen. I chose the biggest fights possible. I took out Teofimo Lopez. Obviously, this guy… I was prepared to fight Lomachenko. That was done. He couldn’t make it because of the {Ukraine} war. No problem, Devin, wanna step up? And he did, OK, but he was forced into this. He’s not my mandatory.”

“I could’ve fought anyone. I could’ve fought the garbageman outside if I wanted to, but I chose you. You’re not my mandatory. I picked you. You’re here, and everything is a go for Sunday.”

“I became more obsessed. I became champion and realized I loved this sport more than anything in the world. I’m very blessed to be here. I made this happen. If it wasn’t for me, this wouldn’t be happening today here, and bring it on.”

“It’s great to be back home. Five years of hard work. Everyone knows the story. I had to go through every bit of adversity. I had to earn my belts, earned them the hardest way. Not like this guy. He got given a present. I earned mine. I took the best out. It is great to be back home, great to have the support. I know that stadium will be buzzing with my support, but I just love to fight. Me and him in there, in that ring. It’s a great moment for Australian boxing, and I am very excited.”

Devin Haney

“The government would not have put up the money if it wasn’t against me. Me or Loma. And then Loma couldn’t fight, so then you had to pick me.”

“What was the point of even coming if you didn’t bring the belts? Aren’t we fighting for the belts? Didn’t the government put up the money for all the belts and didn’t the media come out because this is an undisputed fight between two champions? Why wouldn’t you bring the belts? Fu*king clown.”

“This means everything. It’s a dream come true of mine since I was a young kid. This is the biggest achievement of boxing. I can’t wait for June 5 to come.”

“There’s nothing he can do in the ring that’s better than me, and I will show it on fight night. I take nothing away from him. I think that he’s a good fighter, but I just think I’m on a whole different level.”

“This fight feels different for me. It’s something that I can really get up for. I just can’t wait.”

Browne vs Fa & Moloney vs. Palicte added to Kambosos vs. Haney undercard

Australian two-time bantamweight world title challenger Jason “Mayhem” Moloney and New Zealand-born heavyweight contender Junior Fa hope to showcase their talents for the home region fans at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, on the undercard of the George Kambosos Jr.-Devin Haney undisputed lightweight world title showdown. The Kambosos-Haney world championship event is projected to be one of the biggest boxing events ever on Australian soil.

Moloney will battle former world title challenger Aston Palicte in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO International bantamweight title, while Fa will take on Australian fan-favorite Lucas Browne in a 10-rounder for the WBA Oceania and IBF International heavyweight title belts.

Kambosos-Haney, Moloney-Palicte, Fa-Browne, and an eight-round heavyweight fight between Hemi Ahio (18-0, 13 KOs), Auckland, New Zealand, and Joe Jones (13-4, 10 KOs), of Jersey City. N.J, will be televised LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ Saturday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

In a swing bout, cruiserweight David Nyika (2-0, 2 KOs) will be showcased in 6/4-rounder against an opponent to be named. Nyika, from Hamilton, New Zealand, captured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. A beloved sporting hero in his country, Nyika has earned his stripes as a sparring partner for heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Following the main event, streaming live and exclusively in the United States on ESPN+, world-rated junior bantamweight contender Andrew Moloney (23-2, 15 KOs) will battle Nicaragua’s Alexander Espinoza (21-3-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder, and Devin Haney Promotions-signed junior middleweight prospect Amari Jones (5-0, 5 KOs) will fight Ankush Hooda (3-0-1, 1 KO) in a scheduled six-rounder.

“When it comes to presenting an undercard worthy of its main event — the battle between world champions George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight world championship — it’s Aussie Rules. Australian fight fans in Marvel Stadium and viewers around the globe will be treated to a feast of exciting all-action bouts, many featuring contenders and prospects from Australia, as well as New Zealand. And those not televised live on ESPN will be streamed to the U.S. on ESPN+,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “We are prepared to make history in Melbourne.”

Browne (30-3, 26 KOs) won the WBA Oceania title with a knockout victory over Faiga Opelu in December and is a former WBA world titlist. The 32-year-old Fa (19-1, 10 KOs) is looking to get his career back on track after losing to former world champion Joseph Parker in his last outing in February 2021. Fa has notable wins over American veterans Devin Vargas and Dominick Guinn.

“I would love nothing more than to fight for another world title, and Junior Fa is standing in my way,” Browne said. “If I can put him away early, that will send a message to the boxing world that I am far from finished. He has only lost once in his career, to Joseph Parker. I plan to hand him his second defeat.”

“I am 100 percent back myself, but I’m not taking Lucas lightly, as he is a former world champ and was stopped by Paul Gallen with some illegal blows, so I don’t count that as a loss for him,” Fa said. “He has his power, and we saw him use it to KO his last opponent. I’ll be getting the best Lucas Browne for this fight as I’m in the way of him being a contender again. It’s a huge opportunity for him and it’s going to be a tough fight.”

Moloney (23-2, 18 KOs) has re-ignited his career since an October 2020 knockout loss to pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue. He defeated top contender Joshua Greer Jr. last August and made his 2022 debut in April with a one-sided decision over Francisco Javier Pedroza. He is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC and No. 3 by WBO. Palicte (28-4-1, 23 KOs), from Bago City, Philippines, twice challenged for world titles at junior bantamweight and has won three consecutive fights. He is world-rated No. 6 by the IBF.

Moloney said, “I am grateful to Top Rank and Lou DiBella for the opportunity to be part of the biggest event in Australian boxing history. It is a dream come true. I’m expecting a tough fight against a former world title challenger in Aston Palicte, as he has shown that he can perform at the top level. I will be coming with everything I have to deliver the impressive performance of my career. Get ready for Mayhem!”

The undercard, which will be streamed in the U.S. exclusively on ESPN+, features three highly touted Ferocious Promotions prospects: Terry Nickolas, Isaias Sette and Hussein Fayad. Nickolas (2-1, 2 KOs), from Sydney, takes a step up in opposition experience when he rumbles with Lachlan Higgins (7-4-1, 2 KOs), from Mornington, Australia, in a six-round junior middleweight bout. Junior middleweight Sette and junior lightweight Fayad, both from Sydney, will be making their pro debuts in four-round bouts. Sette will fight Melbourne-born knockout artist Luke Gersbeck (2-0, 2 KOs), while Fayad will take on Pom Thanawut Phetkum (1-1), from Springvale, Australia. Taylah Robertson (4-1, 1 KO), from Brisbane, Australia, and Sarah Higginson (3-0-1, 1 KO), from Perth, Australia, will face off in a five-round junior bantamweight battle. Both fighters enter this bout having won their previous title fights. Robertson scored an eight-round unanimous decision over Kylie Fulmer in their Australia Female bantamweight title fight while Higginson scored her first knockout, stopping Danni Mace in the fourth round to capture the vacant Australian National Boxing Federation Australasian Female bantamweight title.