By Vince D’Writer: After suffering back-to-back losses to the undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, former WBA, IBF, and WBO lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr is set to make his return to the squared circle as he will face Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) on Saturday, July 22nd at the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)
The bout against Maxi Hughes will mark the first time George Kambosos has stepped inside the squared circle since losing back-to-back fights against Devin Haney. Kambosos needs an impressive victory over Hughes in order to get his career back on track.
A product of Sydney, Australia, George Kambosos entered the fight game in 2013 and won his first 19 career bouts. After going through multiple delays, Kambosos finally received his chance to fight for the unified lightweight title on November 27, 2021, when he faced the champion, Teofimo Lopez.
Kambosos got off to a surprising start as he landed a counter overhand right that sent Lopez down to the canvas. Lopez would return the favor in the 10th when he connected with a solid right hand and scored a knockdown of his own. At the end of a very entertaining 12-round championship contest, George Kambosos earned a split decision victory.
In June 2022, the new WBA, WBO, and IBF lightweight champion returned home to Australia to face the WBC champion Devin Haney. Unfortunately for Kambosos, he lost to Haney by way of unanimous decision. Four months later, Kambosos would fall short a second time as the undisputed champion defeated him once again by unanimous decision.
Now George Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) is back, and he’s ready to make a statement. While Kambosos will attempt to reestablish his position in the lightweight division, his opponent will try to score a massive upset in order to bring some credibility to his name.
Since losing to Liam Walsh by way of unanimous decision back in November 2019, British lightweight contender Maxi Hughes currently holds a seven-fight win streak. He won the IBO lightweight title when he defeated Jovanni Straffon back in September 2021, and since then, Maxi Hughes has made two successful title defenses.
On Saturday night, the IBO lightweight champion will attempt to make it three-for-three as he will take on the biggest challenge of his career. During the final presser, Hughes admitted that his opponent’s face and name has been imprinted in his head since February.
Hughes is focused on pulling off the upset and elevating his position within the lightweight division because this bout is an IBO title defense, but it also serves as an IBF eliminator. The fight against Kambosos will mark the first time that Hughes has competed on American soil.
Any type of victory on Saturday night will instantly bring more credibility to Maxi Hughes’s name. On the other hand, George Kambosos must not only win, but he must do it in impressive fashion if he wants his name to be included with the elite of the lightweight division.
Throughout the promotion of the fight, George Kambosos has talked about the different levels of boxing, and as the July 22nd Top Rank headliner live on ESPN, Kambosos plans on showing that he’s at a higher level than his opponent. Kambosos has to make a statement on Saturday night, and he spoke about it during the final presser.
“Take his head off. That’s what’s going through my mind. Like I said, I’m greedy. I’m looking to absolutely destroy this man in my path.”
