By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum spoke to Peter Maniatis of the KO Show about the George Kambosos versus Devin Haney fight on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia. Arum also spoke about Shakur Stevenson, Tim Tszyu, Tyson Fury. and the best prospects from Top Rank.

How big is the George Kambosos v Devin Haney fight in the magnitude of boxing?

It’s a big fight because ESPN is sending over a crew to do this fight live from the Marvel Arena and it will be on in prime time in the United States (Saturday) which will be Sunday afternoon in Melbourne so it’s gaining quite a bit of interest.

How good a fighter is Devin Haney?

He is a very talented young man – he is undefeated. He has had a good run and has fought some tough fighters. We feel he is ready to go in against someone like Kambosos and come away with the title.

How do you rate George Kambosos after he beat Teofimo Lopez?

He is a scrappy fighter with good ability and is very courageous. He is a tough guy to beat. That’s not to say he is not beatable, but again he performs over and above his innate ability which is a great thing for a fighter.

How good is Shakur Stevenson? Can he become a multiple world champion?

Shakur Stevenson looks to us to be the real goods. He has been tested plenty in his young career. People who follow boxing, particularly in the United States look at Shakur to be one of the future stars of the sport.

What do you think of Tim Tszyu?

He is a good fighter. He has good bloodlines. His father (Kostya Tszyu) was a helluva fighter who fought for us a number of times in the states. Tim will be competitive with whoever he goes in with. He is coming along nicely – they are handling him well. He has a big upside.

Has Tyson Fury retired? There are a lot of big fights out there for him.

Tyson Fury is retired and he will be retired until we come to him with the next big event and then he will unretire.

Who are the top prospects at Top Rank?

One guy I am very high on is Jared Anderson – he is a heavyweight. He is 23 years old. He has sparred a lot with Tyson Fury. Tyson told me he is the next heavyweight champion. He is a true talent. He is going to be heard of in the heavyweight division.

In the lighter weight divisions, we are looking forward to developing and making stars of Keyshawn Davis who I think is going to be terrific. Tiger Johnson, who is a welterweight. Keyshawn and Tiger were on the Olympic boxing team. Also from that team, you have Troy Isley and Richard Torrez who are going to be heard of in the years to come. Xander Zayas from Puerto Rico and people are looking at him as a future star.

I probably left off half a dozen others. We are loaded with talented young men and women.

Have you spoken to Manny Pacquiao recently? Will he be here for the Kambosos vs. Haney fight?

I haven’t spoken to Manny since he lost the election. I haven’t heard that he is coming to the fight on Sunday but I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up.

What is your prediction on the Kambosos vs. Haney fight?

I think Kambosos will try to knock out Haney but Haney is a very good boxer. I predict that Haney will come away with a decision but it’s the kinda fight that could go either way.