The amount of chastisement that’s been thrown in the direction of George Kambosos Jr., from his point of view, is a bit unfair. He doesn’t need anyone to remind him of what transpired when he fought Devin Haney. Simply put, it wasn’t his proudest moment as he lost virtually every second of every round in back-to-back meetings.
Still, take the Haney shortcomings out of it, and merely take a glance at the names he knocked off. Mickey Bey, Lee Selby, and of course, Teofimo Lopez, are wins that stick out. Those victories, however, are all great in their own right, but if Kambosos is able to grab a win over Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 12th, he could find himself in rarefied air.
The sport of boxing has seen countless great fighters, but only a small handful get the call to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Only the best of the best receive that nod. Kambosos though, believes his credentials, as long as he takes care of business against Lomachenko, would make him a lock for boxing heaven.
“Hall of Fame for me I believe is on the line,” Kambosos told a group of reporters. “I beat this man, I can get my spot.”
Desperate and confident are the words that come to mind when listening to Kambosos speak. Yet, even with the Australian once holding every lightweight title, oddsmakers aren’t giving him much of a chance.
Ultimately, the 30-year-old’s time on top of the mountain was short-lived. But just because he’s no longer the man, it doesn’t mean he’s completely out of it. With the IBF sanctioning body throwing their strap on the line, Kambosos has a bit more to fight for.
Outside of his close friends and family, Kambosos is expected to take his beating gracefully, receive a hefty paycheck, and slink back to his home state. That, without question, would be a cataclysmic result. But while you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone standing behind him, Kambosos can’t wait to prove everyone wrong.
“My back’s against the walll but May 12th, they’ll see.”