George Kambosos Jr. learned that getting the titles is one thing, but keeping them is something else entirely.
After enjoying a transient run at the top of the lightweight division, the 29-year-old is still licking his wounds following consecutive defeats at the hands of Devin Haney. Although he’s prided himself in facing the best of the best, the Aussie native is expected to return to the ring in a much lower-profiled showdown against Maxi Hughes this summer.
The immediate goal, of course, is for the former champion to become reacquainted with that winning feeling. Long term, however, Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) believes he has bigger fish to fry.
Presently, the lightweight division is jam-packed with countless established luminaries. Having shared the ring with the aforementioned Haney, and Teofimo Lopez – Kambosos has his eyes firmly set on two fighters in particular.
“Gervonta, Shakur are all guys that I want to fight,” said Kambosos to a group of reporters.
Ironically enough, both Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson recently scored big-time wins. In the case of Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs), the former Olympic silver medalist felt right at home in the lightweight division, successfully making his 135-pound debut against Shuichiro Yoshino by stopping his man in the sixth round.
As for Davis (29-0, 27 KOs), he made an even bigger splash. On April 22nd, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 28-year-old finally ended the perpetual trash talk of Ryan Garcia via second-round stoppage.
With both fighters soundly on his radar, Kambosos knows good and well that a win over Hughes is salient to his future plans. More than just a good showing, the former unified champion is looking to prove that his game is more malleable than the rough and rugged style he’s used throughout most of his career.