Kambosos On Facing Maxi Hughes, Wants ‘Tank Davis’ Too

George Kambosos Jr. will face Max Hughes on July 22nd, 2023, from the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Kambosos will be looking to bounce back from his consecutive losses to Devin Haney, as he lost out to the eventual undisputed champion.

And this fight could be the perfect opportunity to do just that. The winner will become the IBF mandatory, thus putting them in line for a shot at Haney. 

Or there could also be the possibility that the winner is elevated to the full IBF champion if Haney does move up. Standing in his way will be Hughes.

Kambosos’ Intent

The former has fallen short when faced against top competition as he came second best to Liam Walsh.

However, since that loss, Hughes has won seven on the bounce including a victory over former world champion Kid Galahad in his last fight. 

But with Kambosos having a point to prove, he vowed to punish his opponent in the ring.

“Since the Devin Haney fights, I’ve gotten sharper. I’ve become a better boxer. I’m better on my feet. I’m better all around. 

I’ve been able to sit back and add more artillery to the game. I’ve been able to watch so much more footage from different fights. I’m a better fighter.

“I’m going to make an emphatic statement. I’m going to show that I’m back. I’m going to show that I’ve become a better fighter. I’m going to knock out Maxi Hughes,” Kambosos 

Ultimately, the pressure is on Kambosos. The star has shown that his best performances have come when he has been the underdog.

This was seen through his victory over Teofimo Lopez. But once the pressure was on the Australian, as shown by fighting Haney in front of his home crowd twice, Kambosos failed to deliver. That is why both fighters have everything to play for. 

Kambosos Vs. Davis

If Kambosos does overcome Hughes, he is targeting a fight with Gervonta Davis. The latter has recently been released from prison after serving 44 days for violating the terms of his house arrest in relation to a hit-and-run incident.

Therefore, it is safe to say that a mega-fight with Shakur Stevenson or Devin Haney is off the table for now. As such, it is expected that Davis will need one more run out before he considers the biggest names.

And given that Davis is the ‘cash cow’ in the division, ‘Tank’ can dictate his terms. After all, his last fight with Ryan Garcia reportedly did over $1.2 million pay-per-view buys. 

And if Davis becomes a possibility, then Kambosos is ready to step in. 

“There are so many great fights out there. I really like the Gervonta Davis fight. I think styles-wise, a lot of people are saying ‘he’s too explosive, he’ll knock me out.’

“The same thing with Teofimo Lopez. If he puts me to sleep he puts me to sleep. I’m a warrior,” Kambosos

Kambosos On The Top Dog

Despite this being the case, Kambosos admitted that Davis was not the best in the division. The Australian expanded on how Devin Haney was the top dog at 135 pounds.

This was on the grounds that the American had beaten his opponents at their peak. In contrast, Kambosos put a question mark on Davis’ win over Ryan Garcia since he had put a rehydration clause in the agreement.

This was a major talking point in the pre-fight build up between Davis and Garcia, as the latter accused ‘Tank’ of ‘weight-draining’ him. In addition to this, Garcia claimed that there had been a mole in his camp.

This was in response to suggestions that Davis knew about his body-shot injury in sparring, which happened to be the same shot that put Garcia down. As such, Kambosos put Haney as number one. 

“Devin Haney has the belts. He’s proven. He’s got everything. Yeah, [Davis] has beaten some good guys. But he hasn’t beaten the guys that Haney has beaten.

“We’ve seen a rehydration clause on Tank’s biggest win against Ryan Garcia. So those kinds of things stain [a resume] from the outside looking in. Haney is the No. 1 lightweight at this stage until he vacates,” Kambosos

The only way to settle the debate would be to put Davis up against Haney in a mega fight. The latter has made it clear that he is interested in the bout happening at some point. 

However, from a negotiation point of view, there would be many hurdles. Both Davis and Haney are likely to be classed as the A-side, potentially creating a deadlock.

Therefore, it would require one side or both fighters to make concessions. However, if the obstacles are overcome, then the boxing fans will be in for a treat.

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