George Kambosos feels that Vasily Lomachenko has lost that ‘dog’ in him from previous defeat, and will be vulnerable tonight with the “artillery” he brings to their fight in Perth, Australia.
Pressure Cooker for Lomachenko
Kambosos says the legend Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) is under a lot of pressure in this fight because if he loses, it will wreck his chances of going to the Boxing Hall of Fame.
In contrast, the former unified lightweight champion Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) states that he has very little pressure on him because he’s the underdog. Still, Kambosos has looked nervous this week, suggesting that his words don’t match what he’s showing physically.
If Kambosos loses this fight, he’s not going to be getting a world title shot anyone soon. That would be his third defeat in his last four fights, and his promoters at Top Rank would look bad if they set him up with a title shot with a 1-3 record in his last four fights.
Kambosos’ Questionable Title Shot
It already looks bad that Kambosos is fighting Lomachenko tonight with a 1-2 record since 2022.
Kambosos doesn’t deserve to be fighting for the vacant IBF lightweight title tonight unless repeated failures are the criterion for competing for a world title.
“There’s no pressure on me. It’s on him. His career is really on the line. A loss to a guy like Kambosos wrecks his Hall of Fame [chances],” said George Kambosos Jr. to the Chris Mannix YouTube channel about him having no pressure on him tonight.
If Kambosos isn’t feeling the pressure, he might not fully realize how bad off his career is looking right now. He lost twice to Devin Haney, making him look like pure gold in both fights.
In Kambosos’ last match against Maxi Hughes, most fans believe he lost that fight as well, and was dominated even more than in either of his two fights with Haney.
Kambosos appeared to win only one or two rounds at best against Hughes but was saved by the judging. Hughes totally schooled Kambosos in that fight.
“Where it puts me is in the Hall of Fame. Teofimo Lopez, Lomachenko, Devin Haney, and Mickey Bey,” said Kambosos about what a win over Lomachenko does for his career. “All the pressure is on him. Of course, there will be small pressure, but nothing new.”
A win for Kambosos tonight won’t put him in the Hall of Fame. For him to get in the HOF, he’ll need to continue to win because his only two notable victories would be against Teofimo Lopez and 36-year-old Lomachenko, who is a pumped up featherweight in reality.
For Kambosos to get into the Hall of Fame, he’ll need to beat guys like Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, Abdullah Mason, Keyshawn Davis, Floyd Schofield and Raymond Muratalla.
I don’t think Kambosos can beat any of those fighters or even be competitive. He would lose to all of those guys, including Frank Martin, Emanuel Navarrete, Denis Berinchyk, Andy Cruz, Edwin De Los Santos, and William Zepeda. Kambosos is more of a fringe-level fighter, who talks a good game, and has a large following in Australia because that country doesn’t have a lot of great talent.
“This isn’t my first rodeo. We’ve done the big fights [with a 1-2 record]. What I bring to the table with my artillery wins this fight,” said Kambososo. “That Ukrainian style that he has creates great opportunities for my style. I’m very explosive, very sharp, and very fast. Everything that I bring to the table will be able to work against a guy like Lomachenko.
“I’m coming to do a job on him. I could see it with the way he’s come to Perth is having a good time,” said Kambosos when asked why he thinks Lomachenko has ‘Lost that dog’ in him. “I know the affects from the Haney fight. I know that still looms in his head.”
