A contender once more, George Kambosos (20-2) is keen to remind everyone how he rose to the top of one of boxing’s hottest divisions, and show off a few new tricks in the process.
The Aussie’s next fight has been locked in - he faces 33-year-old Englishman Maxi Hughes (26-5-2) on July 22 in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
A curious location for the bout to land but nonetheless a significant opportunity for Kambosos to restake his claim as one of the best lightweights in the world.
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Hughes’ IBO world title belt will be on the line but, importantly, the fight will serve as an IBF title eliminator, paving the way for a potential return to a major world championship.
Kambosos is confident he’ll have too much for Hughes, who is riding a seven-fight winning streak.
“Maxi Hughes is a good fighter, he's a solid fighter, but there are a lot of holes,” Kambosos told Sporting News.
“I’ve fought the best of the best, I've been in there with Haney, Lopez, Bey, Selby, all these kind of guys. I see a lot of holes in Maxi Hughes.
“He likes to keep the hands up, he likes to try to box a little bit, but every aspect, every part of this fight, I'm better than him.
“I’m faster, I'm stronger now, I'm more explosive and I've been able to really be refreshed.”
Hughes will be just the second southpaw Kambosos has faced as a professional, although he’s got no shortage of ring time against them.
“I’ve sparred the greatest southpaw in history, the eight-division world champion in Manny Pacquiao for 250 rounds,” Kambosos added.
“What's Maxi Hughes going to show me that I haven't seen from Pacquiao as a southpaw?
“That I haven't seen from guys like Teofimo [Lopez] or Devin Haney twice?
“I'm very excited to showcase myself against Maxi Hughes.
“I've had a bit of time to just work on little mistakes I've been making throughout the last few fights and become a better fighter, more refreshed fighter, more hungry fighter, more motivated.
“Maxi will try his best, but his best will not be enough.
“It'll be surgical, pinpoint and it'll be a demolition job. The way it goes, knockout, stoppage, points, we have to wait and see, but this will be a surgical masterclass.”
JUST ANNOUNCED 🚨@GeorgeKambosos makes his TR debut against @BoxerMaxiHughes in a Lightweight title eliminator on Saturday, July 22. pic.twitter.com/1fEGhBcZSG
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 30, 2023
It will be nine months out of the ring for Kambosos by the time the Hughes fight comes around.
In his last appearance, he dropped a unanimous decision to undisputed lightweight champion Haney for the second time in Melbourne.
With the time off and experiences against Haney, Kambosos believes he’s now better equipped than the man who upset Teofimo Lopez to become champ.
“Everyone's going to be able to see it when I step in there on July 22, but I'm a much better fighter, much better, being able to sit down and reflect on the Haney fights,” Kambosos said.
“There are a lot of things in our game that- it's crazy to see that I became the undisputed champion with still a lot of holes in my game.
“I've been able to sit down with my team, my coaches, and really just make a lot of changes, become a better fighter, more explosive.
“I'm a lot bigger too now - I’ve brought in a nutritionist.
“I haven't had a nutritionist for 22 fights. Being able to bring a nutritionist now has been incredible.
“I’ve got a lot more energy, a lot more size that I've been able to put on, but keep a lot of speed and explosive power.
“I'm coming to knock this guy out and I just feel like a better fighter. When you're able to refresh and really enjoy the sport, that's a dangerous fighter, a happy fighter.”
Having fought in three consecutive major world title bouts, a win against Hughes will put Kambosos in position for another.
The 29-year-old recently signed a multi-fight co-promotional deal with Top Rank, meaning his fights will feature on ESPN in the US.
An added benefit of signing with Top Rank is their existing stable of lightweights, which includes former unified champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.
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“I'm going to get rid of Maxi Hughes, there's no doubt about it,” Kambosos said.
“The way I feel, Maxi Hughes is there for the taking and I’ll take his IBO belt but most importantly, yes, this is an IBF eliminator.
“We all know that Haney is going to move up, he's going to move up to 140.
“This opportunity obviously, could most likely present itself for the vacant belt against Gustavo Lemos from Argentina.
“But we're with Top Rank. Me and Lomachenko were meant to fight earlier last year and it's still a big, big fight here in Australia.
“That fight, I believe sells 60,000, if not more than what I did with Haney.
“If you can read between the lines, you can see what we're trying to do here.
“I'm sure Top Rank and our team have a lot of interesting talks going on at the moment.
“But most importantly, I'm focused on Maxi Hughes, that's the guy in front of me and I can't wait to make a statement against a southpaw.”