Wellmaker earned his contract the week after Haddon with a first-round knockout win over Adam Bramhald that pushed his professional record to 9-0 with six finishes. In April, he walked off Cameron Saaiman, felling the South African with the same right hook that did Bramhald in, and less than two months later, he thrilled the partisan crowd at State Farm Arena in Atlanta with a similar effort against durable veteran Kris Moutinho to fully establish himself as an ascending threat in the 135-pound weight class.
“Malcolm is a formidable opponent, and he’s got a lot of hype,” began Haddon, offering his thoughts on his opponent and the matchup itself. “He’s been sleeping dudes with the same punch the last three fights; it’s very impressive, and he has a lot of power.
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“I feel like I have a hard task ahead, but that’s why I’m here: I’m here to be the best and test myself against the best, and I think right now, Malcolm, with the trajectory he’s on, he’s on a trajectory to be the best, so I want to prove my worth and see what I can do in there.”
On a card of this magnitude and in a fight featuring one of the biggest breakout stars of the year, this was always going to be a narrative surrounding this weekend’s contest, and with Haddon filling in for Sidey on short notice, you can understand that it’s not a particularly favorable one for the Australian.
Fortunately, the returning prospect has the absolute right approach when it comes to all the discussions and chatter swirling around his matchup with Wellmaker at MSG.
