If Yuriorkis Gamboa was the toughest test to date for Devin Haney, the rising boxing star passed it with flying colors.
After a yearlong layoff, boxing’s youngest champion successfully defended his WBC lightweight title for the second time with a unanimous decision win over Gamboa — a former two-division champion.
The 21-year-old entered the bout eager to prove he belonged among the lightweight elites, on the heels of star-making wins by Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Teofimo Lopez in the division.
Although Haney didn’t get the knockout, he backed Gamboa up all night with crisp shots, taking away any momentum.
Two of the three judges scored the fight a shutout, 120-107, while the other judge scored it 118-109. Gamboa was deducted a point in the 11th round for holding.