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George Kambosos Jr., the former unified world lightweight champion, is gearing up for a significant challenge as he prepares to face the highly decorated Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 12 in Perth, Australia.
Lomachenko, known for his impressive resume and technical prowess, will be stepping into the ring almost a year after his last fight, a narrow defeat to Devin Haney. Despite acknowledging Lomachenko's achievements and skills, Kambosos is confident in his own abilities and believes his boxing style will match well against the Ukrainian's.
"This is the guy [Lomachenko] who was formerly the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, a three-division world champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist," Kambosos told Sky Sports.
"But we respect what we've been able to do, too. Styles make fights. The way we both bring that action, it’s gonna be something special. This is going to be a memorable fight."
Kambosos's rise to prominence came in November 2021 when he upset the odds to defeat Teofimo Lopez and claim the unified WBO, WBA, and WBO world lightweight titles. However, his reign was short-lived as he suffered back-to-back defeats to Haney and a disputed points win against Maxi Hughes.
A victory against Lomachenko would not only put Kambosos back in contention for unification fights but also solidify his position as one of the top lightweights in the division. At 30 years old, Kambosos is motivated to continue his journey and secure bigger fights against the likes of Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson.
However, Kambosos is aware of the risks involved. If he fails to defeat Lomachenko, his ambitions of returning to the top of the lightweight division could be in jeopardy.
"If I can't get over a guy like Lomachenko then that opportunity [to return to the top of the 135-pound division] really does not present itself anymore," Kambosos admitted. "The bigger the task, the bigger the fight, the better Kambosos will come to the fore and be prepared – so we know what we have to do."