Monday 13 April 2020 13:42, UK
Luke Campbell is confident Devin Haney's potential reinstatement as WBC lightweight champion will not cost him a third world shot.
Campbell was scheduled to fight for the vacant WBC lightweight crown against Javier Fortuna in Maryland on Friday night, but that fight card has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Muddying the waters for Campbell Haney's status with the WBC, which stripped the American of the belt last December and declared him champion in recess because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Haney would have had the right to take on the winner of Campbell-Fortuna once fit but the 21-year-old last week petitioned the WBC to reinstate him as champion, insisting he will be ready to fight once boxing gets given the green light.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman backtracked on claims Haney's request had been granted and is reviewing the matter, but Campbell believes the governing body is duty-bound to proceed with his bout against Fortuna.
Campbell said: "[Haney's situation] shouldn't make the slightest bit of difference.
"This fight has already been made and it's already been chosen for the title so as soon as we go back to normal, nothing should change.
"We're still fighting for the title and then he has the right to fight the winner if he chooses to do that for his first fight back after an injury, that's down to him and his team.
"This fight is made and it is still scheduled, it will have to be rescheduled for a date when we can fight but it's a fight that's already been scheduled before this happened. There's nothing that should change that at all."
Campbell has twice before come up short on the world stage, dropping a split decision to Jorge Linares in 2017 being more convincingly outpointed by Vasyl Lomachenko last August.
Both fighters have held titles across multiple weight classes while Lomachenko is widely recognised as the current best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
"I'm gutted about those two experiences but I'm not going to sit here and cry about it, I'm going to get on with it," Campbell said.
"It's my dream to be a world champion and I will become a world champion. It just makes a whole for me. It's just that slice of cake that's missing to make the whole cake.
"It's all a journey, it's going to tell a better story at the end of it."
Though Lomachenko's victory over Campbell was comprehensive, the London 2012 gold medallist would welcome a rematch against the undefeated Ukrainian, but knows is an opportunity he first needs to earn.
"I'd love to challenge him again because it was a fantastic fight and I honestly believe given a second chance I can get that win over him," Campbell said.
"But I've got to earn that, I'm not just calling someone out, I'm going to earn that shot again down the line.
"Obviously I've got business in front of me that I need to take care of. I just can't wait until we beat this coronavirus so the world can get on as normal and I can get back to boxing and doing what I do best."
