Devin Haney is the King of the Lightweight Division; Outpoints Kambosos

In a tactical fight devoid of fireworks, Devin Haney became the youngest unified champion of the four-belt era by dint of winning a unanimous decision over George Kambosos Jr. Working off a steady jab, Haney simply out-classed the previously undefeated Kambosos, silencing the pro-Kambosos crowd of 41,129 at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.

Devin Haney said his gameplan was “hit and not get hit.” He deployed that to the letter, controlling the range and frustrating the one-dimensional Kambosos who landed only two hard punches during the course of the battle, neither of which was hard enough to buckle the knees of Haney. In the ninth round, he shoved Haney to the canvas, getting a reaction from the crowd, but the referee properly called it a slip.

The judges had it 118-110 and 116-112 twice. Although Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) showed once again that he is an outstanding craftsman, it’s doubtful he won any new fans. This was the fourth straight fight in which he was extended the distance.

Co-Feature

In a bantamweight battle between two former two-time world title challengers, local fan favorite Jason Moloney (24-2, 19 KOs) scored a third-round stoppage of Filipino invader Aston Palicte (28-5-1).

Moloney, who grew up in Melbourne with his twin brother Andrew, sent Palicte down hard with a short right hand that landed right on the button. Palicte beat the count on wobbly legs and Moloney went for the kill. A second knockdown ensued that was something of a push, but the referee thought it prudent to stop the fight. The official time was 2:35 of round three.

Also…

In a stunner, 43-year-old Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne blew away Junior Fa in the opening round. Barely a minute into the fight, Browne smashed Fa to the canvas with a big right hand. Fa beat the count, but was shaky and when he went down again the referee waived it off. It was all over in 118 seconds.

Big Daddy Browne (31-3, 27 KOs) briefly held a WBA version of the world heavyweight title (the belt was stripped from him when he tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, forever branding him a cheater). His recent efforts and advancing age suggested he was damaged goods. In his last high-profile fight, he was knocked out in the opening round by near-novice Paul Gallen, a 39-year-old former rugby star. But tonight, he discovered the fountain of youth. Fa, who went 12 rounds in a losing effort vs. former title-holder Joseph Parker, lost for the second time in 21 starts.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

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