One of the most anticipated boxing matches of 2022 takes place Saturday as undefeated lightweight champions George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney meet in a 12-round championship main event. Their showdown anchors the main fight card (9 p.m. ET) from Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Kambosos (20-10, 10 KOs) is a native of Sydney, Australia, so he will have the home-crowd advantage from what is expected to be a capacity turnout at the 60,000-seat venue. Kambosos holds the WBA, IBF and WBO versions of the title, while Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) is the WBC champion. The winner takes home all four titles and will become a unified champion in the loaded division.
Haney is a -180 favorite (risk $180 to win $100), while Kambosos is priced at +155 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. 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 (see tickets at StubHub) 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
The main event features a matchup of fighters who not only have contrasting styles within the ropes but who also have taken divergent paths to reach this level.
Haney was widely considered a prodigal talent from the first time he laced up the gloves, and nobody who follows boxing was surprised by his rapid ascent up the ranks. The 23-year-old San Francisco native has one of the more decorated amateur careers among current champions, which includes a pair of gold medals in the U.S. Junior National Championships.
In January 2015 at age 17, he became the youngest boxer to win the Youth World Championships and finished with an amateur record of 138-8. Haney turned pro at age 17 and fought his first four matches outside of the United States, where the minimum age is 18 to become licensed.
Haney fought nine times in 2016 alone and captured recognition as among the sport’s rising stars behind his speed and natural gift for ring generalship. His quest to become a world champion at a young age came to fruition with his first major title in September 2019 when he won the vacant WBC lightweight title.
He has since defended it four times, with his recent outing resulting in a unanimous decision over Joseph Diaz in December.
Kambosos started training in boxing as a means of getting in shape in his early teens and went on to a successful but undistinguished amateur career. The 28-year-old turned pro in May 2013 but much of his early career came to little fanfare. This is in large part because 12 of his 13 fights were in Australia against non-descript opponents, and the other was in New Zealand.
He was still a relative unknown by the time he reached the top contender slot with lackluster performances over fading former champions Mickey Bey and Lee Selby. However, that all changed last September when he was matched against Teofimo Lopez, who had just captured three of the major belts and became regarded as one of the sport’s promising young stars with an upset of previously unbeaten Vasily Lomachenko.
But Kambosos dominated from the outset, knocked Lopez down in Round 1, and went on to win a split decision after closing as a 10-1 underdog at most sportsbooks. 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.