Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. says he’ll make his debut at 140 in March and then challenge IBF light welterweight champ Richardson Hitchins for his belt in June or July.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) called out the former one-hit wonder, Kambosos Jr. (21-3, 10 KOs), after his 12-round split decision win over IBF 140-lb champion Liam Paro last month on December 7th. George doesn’t deserve a world title shot unless we lower the bar for what a fighter needs to do to earn a crack at a belt.
“Emperor’s” New Target
‘The Emperor’ Kambosos’ attitude is that if Hitchins wants the fight, he’ll accommodate him, but he says he views the New Yorker as a “bum” who hasn’t “made no money.” Kambosos has made a small fortune over his upset win against an injured, ring-rusty Teofimo Lopez four years ago on November 27, 2021.
George beat Lopez by a 12-round split decision but has done very little since, going 1-3 in the last four years. Kambosos’ record should be 0-4 in his last four fights because his 12-round majority decision win over Maxi Hughes on July 22, 2023, was highly questionable in the eyes of many fans.
“Yes, yes, I keep saying a million times. He keeps saying, ‘You’re not signing a contract.’ What contract? You want me. You’re a champion, and you haven’t made no money. You’re a bum. You haven’t done anything in the sport except win your last fight, and win a world title,” said George Kambosos Jr. to Fighthype, talking about IBF light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins.
“That doesn’t mean nothing to me. I’m coming for you. I want to take your head out, and you want to make some money? Cool, come make some money and I’m going to take that belt off you. A lot of people call me out. I knew he was going to jump at it. I knew I’m under his skin. I’m living in his head rent-free. I’m under his skin. I love getting under these New Yorkers.
“I’m going to make this debut at 140 in March. He ain’t ready until June or July, and we’re there. Straight after March, we can do it the next month. We can do it the next day, no problem. I’m coming for this guy,” said Kambosos about wanting to fight Richardson Hitchins.
Kambosos is getting ahead of himself. He still needs to win his debut at 140 in March before he’ll have a chance to challenge Hitchins for his IBF title in June or July. If Kambosos’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, matches him against a halfway decent opponent for March, he’ll lose for sure. That would leave George’s dismal record at 1-4 in his last five fights. The thing is, it’s not like he’s a shot fighter. He was never good in the first place.
“It’s no secret. Me and Paro, we’re going to do that big, big fight. I was going to do my business in March and then have that big stadium clash. I’m such a big name in the world of boxing that Hitchins called me out the next day,” said Kambosos.
That had to have been disappointing for Kambosos to see Liam Paro beaten by Hitchins by a 12-round split decision in their fight on December 7th in San Juan, Puerto Rico. All that money that Kambosos would have gotten against former IBF 140-lb champion Paro went down the tunes with his loss to Hitchins, and it’s not coming back.
“I’ll Take His Head Off”
“I’m just zoned in on getting better every day. I’m feeling good at this weight and putting on a great performance in March. I’m going to take this guy’s head off, and then we go straight into Hitchins. He says certain things here and there. What am I worried about you? You’re not one-tenth of Devin Haney. You’re not one-tenth of Teofimo Lopez. You’re not one-tenth of Lomachenko,” said Kambosos.
The only fighter of those three that Kambosos Jr. beat was Teofimo Lopez, catching him on a bad night off a long layoff in 2021. George lost twice to Devin Haney and was knocked out by Vasily Lomachenko in his last fight on May 12, 2024. He hasn’t fought since. Kambosos is seen as a shot fighter, but he was never viewed as a good fighter from the get-go. So, his losing repeatedly just shows his level or lack thereof.
Read the full article here
