A rare pairing of undefeated champions squaring off for a unified title takes place Saturday as lightweight titleholders Devin Haney and George Kambosos Jr. meet in a 12-round boxing championship main event. Their showdown tops the main fight card (9 p.m. ET) from Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The 50,000-seat venue is expected to sell out. Kambosos (20-10, 10 KOs) is a native Australian and action brawler who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight titles. He faces a stylistic contrast against the slick-boxing Haney (27-0, 15 KOs), who brings his WBC belt to the table.
Haney is the -175 favorite (risk $175 to win $100), while Kambosos is priced as the +150 underdog in the latest Kambosos vs. Haney odds from Caesars Sportsbook. The over-under for total rounds completed is 10.5, with the over favored at -420 and the under set at +340, and there are plenty of other Haney vs. Kambosos props on the board to consider. Before making any Kambosos vs. Haney picks, make sure you check out the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Brandon Wise.
Wise, who is the combat sports editor for CBS Sports, is an experienced boxing and mixed martial arts analyst who has consistently provided winning selections for SportsLine members. For the past two years, he has hit numerous boxing selections in big-time matchups.
For instance, just last week Wise called for Gervonta Davis to win in Rounds 1-6 (-110) against Rolando Romero for the WBA regular lightweight title. Davis scored a sixth-round stoppage to give Wise's followers another winner, and the under 6.5 rounds (-130) that Wise predicted also connected. Moreover, last November he predicted a stoppage victory between rounds No. 10 and 12 for Canelo Alvarez against Caleb Plant in their super middleweight unification bout. The proposition selection paid +450 and Alvarez stopped Plant in Round 11. Anyone who has followed Wise's combat sports picks has seen massive returns.
Now, with Saturday's anticipated showdown in sight, Wise has studied Kambosos vs. Haney from every angle and identified the best value in the latest boxing odds at Caesars. You can only see his confident prop bets and money-line picks at SportsLine.
Kambosos vs. Haney preview
In a boxing era that has seen countless high-profile matchups go by the wayside because one or both sides refused to make any concessions, Haney hopes to set a new precedent by accepting an astounding level of compromise to make the unification fight with Kambosos happen. Haney told the media this week he hopes to set an example for other fighters to follow to realize their dreams.
For one, he took less money than Kambosos even though he is similarly an undefeated champion and the better-known fighter to the viewing public. Moreover, he was forced to cut ties with popular promoter Eddie Hearn, who guided his career to his first world title, to sign with Top Rank and get the contract signed.
Moreover, Haney agreed to an automatic rematch clause should he win that stipulates the rematch would also be held in Australia before a pro-Kambosos crowd. The WBC champ reiterated that he doesn't regret any of the compromises.
"If the fighters truly believe in their skills, and their talent, and they want to fight somebody, we're the ones with the power," Haney said. "Devin Haney was the first one to do that, and Devin Haney is going to inspire others to do that."
Although many fighters use an underdog mentality as motivation, Kambosos has much more of a legitimate case than most to lean on the disrespect card. The three-belt champion told the media this week that being overlooked will drive him until the day he hangs up the gloves.
His upset of Lopez was characterized by some as a fluke, even though he floored the former champion in the opening round and consistently landed the cleaner shots. One judge even gave the fight to Lopez, although Kambosos appeared to win at least eight rounds to go with the early knockdown. The other two judges had Kambosos by a fairly wide margin.
Even so, his prior two fights were also split decisions that didn't appear to be as close as the scorecards suggested. Kambosos said proving critics wrong will again be on his mind Saturday night as he is again an underdog, although a modest one, in a title fight in his home country.
"That chip on my shoulder makes me as hungry as ever," he said. "That chip on that shoulder, I don't think it's ever going to go. But when it does go, maybe that will be the time for me to give it in and move on to something else." You can only see who to back here.
How to make Kambosos vs. Haney picks
Wise likes the over 10.5 rounds at a price of -420 in the latest boxing odds at Caesars. He's also made the call on a method of victory prop and a confident money-line pick. You can only see those Haney vs. Kambosos picks at SportsLine.
Who wins Kambosos vs. Haney? And which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise's best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS combat sports specialist who has crushed his boxing picks the last two years, and find out.
