The great Senator Manny Pacquiao had nothing but good when discussing former sparring partner George Kambosos Jr. ahead of a first title defense.
Kambosos meets Devin Haney on Saturday night in an undisputed battle that will see one champion rule the lightweight division.
The pair are currently undergoing fight week festivities in Australia ahead of their upcoming grudge match at Marvel Stadium.
“The Emperor” shared many rounds with Pacquiao when they trained together in Los Angeles and the Philippines. Kambosos learned a lot, but Pacquiao also stated his training partner made him work for his money.
Speaking to Good Weekend, Pacquiao said: “You can tell he wants to keep those belts for as long as possible.
“It’s been a long journey for George, and he’s sacrificed a lot to get to the top. I don’t see him letting it go.
“From the beginning, I knew, my team knew, George was a very good fighter. That’s why I wanted George in all my training camps.
“He went beyond giving me a good job. He made me work.”
MANNY PACQUIAO PRAISE
Handing out further compliments, the retired ex-Presential candidate added: “He was a training partner in name only.
“He wanted to be the best and treated his sparring sessions with me as part of his education.
“I never saw the same fighter twice. He was always doing the extra work.
DEVIN HANEY
That work ethic makes Kambosos a strong competitor against a talented fighter in Haney. For many years, Haney got talked about as a future superstar.
Those big fights have been on hold until now. It’s time for Haney to step up and see if he can take the gold.
Victory would see either fighter become yet another undisputed champion in the sport – a growing trend with several stars able to do so over the last few years.
The winner has the boxing world in their hands.
