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WBC lightweight titleholder Devin Haney has taken a fair amount of criticism for his scheduled fight this coming Saturday (Nov. 7, 8 pm ET, DAZN), as many fans and those in the media feel the 38-year-old Gamboa simply isn’t a legitimate contender in the 135-pound division.
There’s good reason for that. We just saw Gamboa (30-3, 18 KO) fight a young gun at 135 in Dec. 2019, and despite a brave effort from the Cuban veteran, where he fought the vast majority of the bout on a torn Achilles that would require surgery, he was out-gunned and eventually stopped in the 12th round by Gervonta Davis.
But Haney (24-0, 15 KO) is fighting Gamboa either way, and at the very least, he’s saying he wants to make a statement with the way he wins on Saturday.
“I don’t just want to win, I want to win in spectacular fashion. I want to beat Gamboa worse than anyone has to dat,” Haney said. “I want to show him that I am the best fighter in the world and better than anyone he’s ever faced. I have to make a statement. The eyes of the boxing world are all on me again. They’ve heard me talk the talk and now it’s time to walk the walk.”
How to Watch Haney vs Gamboa
Date: Saturday, Nov. 7 | Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
Location: Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, FL
Stream: DAZN
Live Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com
The 21-year-old Haney has the WBC belt, and his goal is to get more of them. As of now, that would require facing Teofimo Lopez, who holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. Lopez is, however you want to take the belt situation at 135, the clear top dog in the division now.
“The belts are important to me; I want to win as many of them as I can. I am willing to fight any of the top guys, I don’t want to skip any of them out or say, ‘I like this guy over that guy,’ because I want the fights that the fans want to see the most. It’s important to defend my title, look good doing it and hunt the rest of the division after that,” Haney said.
“Everything is falling into place and the lightweight division is lighting up. I have to handle business with Gamboa first, take care of him and then the sky is the limit. There are so many big fights out there, everyone is opening up and 2021 can be huge if I win this fight and make a statement.”