George Kambosos Jr. vs. Devin Haney: Fight prediction, undercard, odds, preview, start time, expert pick

Throughout an already busy weekend on tap in the world of combat sports, there may not be a single fight this Saturday with more stakes attached than boxing's undisputed lightweight championship bout pairing unbeaten champions George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney.

With an expected crowd of 50,000 set for Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET), Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) returns to fight on home soil for the first time since 2017 as he looks to continue a meteoric rise that saw him upset Teofimo Lopez Jr.

last November to claim the power position in one of the sport's hottest division as the WBA, IBF and WBO champion.

Like his victory over Lopez, however, the 28-year-old Kambosos will enter as the betting underdog -- albeit a very small one this time -- when he welcomes Haney (27-0, 15 KOs), the 23-year-old phenom and WBC champion who has long been considered a future star in the making.

One of the larger storylines associated with the fight that was expected to potentially affect the outcome was the fact that Haney's father and trainer, Bill, was banned from traveling to Australia due to a felony drug conviction dating back to 1992.

But the elder Haney was able to secure late approval and is expected to arrive in Melbourne in time to be by his son's side.

"A win would be very satisfying because that means I did it against all odds, even when things weren't working in my favor," Haney said during Thursday's press conference.

"They were trying to do anything they can to put me at a disadvantage. But when I come out on top, it's going to be that much sweeter. I look forward to bringing the belts back and showing my dad what we accomplished together."

Kambosos had originally sought a title defense against former unified champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, who had lost his trio of titles to Lopez by upset decision in 2020.

The ongoing conflict in Lomachenko's native Ukraine ended those plans, however, and in slid Haney for a shot at crowning just the eighth undisputed male boxing champion of the four-belt era.