The lightweight division is red-hot right now, and 2021 should see things get even hotter.
Teofimo Lopez Jr.'s champion vs. champion win over Vasiliy Lomachenko, George Kambosos Jr.'s arrival at the top table with a final eliminator win over Lee Selby, Gervonta 'Tank' Davis' emphatic recent knockout of Leo Santa Cruz, and the upcoming clash between Ryan Garcia and Luke Campbell look set to lead to even bigger fights in the near future.
Current WBC champ Devin Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) has been tipped to play a big role in the lightweight scene's continued rise, but not before the 21-year-old takes care of a few loose ends when he faces 38-year-old veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-3, 18 KOs), a former world featherweight champion who failed to unseat Davis and Terence Crawford for lightweight gold in the past.
While some see the contest as a formality, Haney explained in a recent video interview on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel that taking on Gamboa specifically has several layers of personal significance to him.
The first is a return to what he loves. Haney hasn't boxed in a year thanks to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and an injury that temporarily took away the only thing he knew.
"It feels great, being able to head into fight week," explained Haney. "It’s been almost a year since I was in the ring and coming off an injury, I didn’t know how my body would react.
"I never took time off of boxing ever in my life. So to finally take time away from boxing… it was different. It was stressful.
"A lot of people don’t know what us athletes go through, especially when we get injuries. For me, the most time I’d taken away from boxing was like two weeks and that was straight after a fight. But I would still run, and do little things to stay in shape like basketball.
"This time, it was different. I couldn’t do anything. I was on bed rest for about a month straight, where I couldn’t lift my arms or anything."
Haney went on to detail the backstory between he and Gamboa, which includes a young Haney's "starstruck" encounter with the Cuban many years ago.
He said: "Gamboa’s a very dangerous opponent because he has the experience. He has speed, he has power, and he’s been in there with the best of them. He’s been competitive with the best of the best.
"This is a dangerous fight for me, especially coming off an injury. By far the toughest test of my career.
"Gamboa is someone I’ve watched since I was a young kid. I remember being starstruck when he came to train at my gym. I remember my grandmother letting me stick around after the gym was closed to watch Gamboa work out. Even though I had homework due the next day, my grandma let me stay to watch him work out. That’s why this fight means so much to me.
"What a lot of people don’t know is that Gamboa’s coach trained me at the Olympic training center. I didn’t feel like he gave me that much attention when I was there, he didn’t think I was the next superstar. I don’t just want to show Gamboa [what I can do], I want to show his coach as well."
In Haney's mind, Gamboa's name is a necessary addition to his resume before he can advance to the big fights.
"Everything is falling into place, and the lightweight division is lining up perfectly, but I have to handle business with Gamboa first," said Haney.
"I have to take care of him, and then the sky’s the limit. There’s so many big fights out there, and 2021 could be huge if I go into the Gamboa fight and make a statement."