George Kambosos Jr.- Maxi Hughes on July 22 at FireLake Arena LIVE on ESPN
By Jim Calfa: Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr will fight Maxi Hughes in an IBF 135-lb title eliminator in the main event on July 22 on ESPN at the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The event will be shown at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
Kambosos says he expects Devin Haney to vacate his belts and move up to 140. When that happens, he wants to face Gervonta Davis.
To be sure, Shawnee, Oklahoma an odd location for the fight between the Aussie Kambosos and the UK fighter Hughes. It’s unclear what Top Rank is thinking about sticking this card in that venue because it’s unlikely that local fans will be excited at seeing these two guys, but perhaps they know something that I don’t
Kambosos-Hughes’ fight is part of a doubleheader, along with lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis fighting Francesco Patera in the chief support bout in a ten round contest.
GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR VS. MAXI HUGHES START TIME
- Date: Saturday, July 22
- Time: 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. BST
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 11:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. BST
- The fight will take place at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
- The main card is set to get underway at 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. BST with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 11:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. BST. These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
- The fight will be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the U.S.
The 29-year-old Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) will be looking to end his two-fight losing streak when he faces Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in a 12 round fight in hopes of becoming the IBF mandatory to champion Devin Haney. This will be Kambosos’ first fight with Top Rank.
Kambosos has lost his last two fights against Haney so it would be pointless for a third match. But, likely, Haney will soon vacate his four belts, and if he doesn’t, he could be dethroned by Gervonta Davis or Shakur Stevenson, whichever two he faces.
What would be ideal for Kambosos is for Tank Davis to get his hands on the IBF title because if he beats Hughes, he’d be assured of a massive payday.
“George Kambosos Jr. is still one of the lightweight division’s premier attractions, and he has the chance to get right back to title contention with a win over an upset-minded Maxi Hughes,” said Bob Arum. “Keyshawn Davis is a contender.”
“You picked the worst possible time to get back in the ring with someone like myself,” said Kambosos Jr to Secondsout, talking about Hughes. “It’s a good moment for Maxi to say he fought Kambosos. It’s going to be a very tough night for him. It’ll be pay-per-view back in Australia.
“No disrespect. I’m very focused on him. I get asked about a lot of different names because, obviously, I’ve got a big name in the world of boxing. People love to see me fight. They love to see the blood and guts. They want to hear what I’m going to say.
“You would think that he would vacate the belt and move up and look for another world challenge. It depends on how much money he’s thrown and what makes sense,” said Kamboos.
KAMBOSOS JR – MAXI HUGHES FIGHT CARD
- George Kambosos Jr vs. Maxi Hughes; Lightweight
- Keyshawn Davis vs. Francesco Patera; Lightweight
- Giovani Santillan vs. Erick Bone; Welterweight
- Mike Balogun vs. Hemo Ahio; Heavyweight
- Roney Hines vs. Michael Pirotton; Heavyweight
- Troy Isley vs. TBA; Middleweight
- Jeremiah Milton vs. TBA; Heavyweight