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According to George Kambosos, the once-beaten boxer has activated his rematch clause for an immediate second fight with Devin Haney.
On June 5, before a crowd of over 40,000 fans at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Haney outboxed Kambosos over twelve rounds to become the undisputed lightweight world champion.
Local pundits believe the second bout between Kambosos and Haney will be a hard sell.
According to a report from News Corp, Kambosos-Haney generated around 50,000 buys on pay-per-view in Australia – which falls short of the peak PPV figure of 100,000 for local junior middleweight superstar Tim Tszyu.
Kambosos wants rematch to take place in Australia before Christmas. The contract calls for the second fight to place in Kambosos’ home country.
“Yes, the rematch is happening, 100 percent. I have activated the rematch clause,” Kambosos told NewsCorp. “The Emperor is dead, but Ferocious is still alive and I will be back.”
“We haven’t finalized a venue. There’s options for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It will be in Australia which is great. I know I can win a rematch. I will make some changes and this is my destiny to show how great I am and get those belts back.
“I know I can beat Haney. My confidence hasn’t been broken. On the day, Ferocious wasn’t at his best. I was just off a touch, but no excuses. He did what he had to do with his jab, he is a smart operator but I have to be smarter at my game plan next time. I am blessed to get the shot again and not many Australian boxers can say they’ve had three world title fights in a row. I shocked Lopez to win the belts, I lost them to Haney but now I will be working on a game plan to get the belts back. I have the eye of the tiger again.”
Kambosos also shot back at the critics who believe that his local popularity falls short of Tim Tszyu.
“I am still the biggest name in Australian boxing. Tim can barely get crowds to his fights in Australia. The last time I checked, when did Tim Tszyu fight in front of 41,000 fans in a packed stadium? He can barely get 10,000 to his fights, it’s small-time stuff,” Kambosos said.
“I’m happy for the critics to bag me and doubt me. I am very happy with my life. No-one can take away the fact I made it to the top, I conquered the world, and I will be looking to get those belts back from Haney in our rematch.”