'Of course I'm the best': Sydney fighter on path for blockbuster world title bout (original) (raw)

'Of course I'm the best': Sydney fighter on path for blockbuster world title bout

George Kambosos jnr has a vision: a heaving stadium in Melbourne or Sydney, all the lightweight belts on the line and a title fight against the sublime Vasyl Lomachenko.

For a man who firmly believes he is the best fighter in Australia, proving it by bringing a blockbuster to his home nation only seems a fitting next step in his 18-0 professional career.

Sydney boxer George Kambosos jnr works the bag at his Sylvania gym. He's one fight away from a major world title bout.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

"Of course I’m the best fighter in Australia ... no disrespect," said Sydney native Kambosos. "They all know who the top dog is here and I’m going to continue to prove it."

He may not have the domestic profile of a Jeff Horn or even a Tim Tszyu, but don't let that blur his achievements in the ring. In fact, the 26-year-old is following a long line of local fighters who are probably better known overseas than at home, with retired fellow Greek-Australian Michael Katsidis a case in point.

Now Kambosos wants to emulate Katsidis' success in the UK, where he went over and beat up some British favourites in their own backyard. In October, COVID-19 restrictions allowing, Kambosos will fight Lee Selby in Wales in an IBF eliminator, with the victor to take on the winner of the bout between WBA, WBO, WBC lightweight champion Lomachenko (14-1 as a professional and an incredible 396-1 as an amateur with two Olympic Gold medals) and IBF champion Teofimo Lopez (15-0), likely to be in September.

Top Rank surpemo Bob Arum has already said he could see Lomachenko, should he win, campaigning in a big-money fight in Australia, much along the lines of Kambosos' former sparring partner Manny Pacquiao's trip to Suncorp Stadium where he was stung by Jeff Horn in 2017.

Vasyl Lomachenko, left, is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.Credit: Getty

"What a fight for Australian boxing," Kambosos said. "This is a world title eliminator, a serious fight. When I win this, I’m going to be fighting the winner of Lomachenko-Lopez. We’re going to fight for all the belts. We are very focused on Lee Selby, but we know the magnitude of what’s at stake.

"I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Bob Arum said he would love to make Lomachenko-Kambosos here in Australia. Pacquiao-Horn did massive numbers, so I truly believe we could break records. We have that fight in Melbourne or Sydney, that’s 60,000 [crowd] easy.

"That’s what I truly believe. I can see it, I can taste it. Kambosos-Lomachenko at Marvel Stadium, I have seen the visions. You work so hard and chase these dreams so hard. I can see this fight happening."

Kambosos (18-0) is a fierce, aggressive and accurate fighter who has done the business in the US, where he has staged his camps in Los Angeles and Miami since he was 10-0 on home soil. In his last outing, he won a split decision over former IBL title holder Mickey Bey in Madison Square Garden.

Sydney boxer George Kambosos is one fight away from a major world title bout. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

"They key is I didn’t stay in Australia," said Kambosos, who was a handy league junior for Cronulla. "I went to the US very early in my career. We reached 10-0 here and started having our camps in America. I can’t even remember the last time I had a camp here.

"That’s the difference – the sparring. I’m getting contenders, former world champions, world champions. The Aussie fighters here are just sparring each other, they all know each other and get comfortable. I’m in the lion’s den over there … it’s do or die."

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Kambosos has made peace with his lack of notoriety among casual Australian sports fans. He's determined to make sure they have no choice but to take notice as he lines up a shot at genuine boxing royalty in Lomachenko, a ring wizard who perennially rates among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.

"When I was here, I took out the best guys," Kambosos said. "As soon as we started doing our thing in the US, the buzz died out a little bit. I had to chase it. Michael Katsidis went overseas and fought the best of the best. He could walk down the street here and not many people would have recognised him.

"But us Greek-Australians, we’re a very tough breed. We’ve got that spartan warrior and Anzac warrior all mixed together. There’s a fighting spirit there. We don’t want to be beaten. Everyone will see that."