By: Sean Crose
It wasn’t supposed to happen like it did. Teofimo Lopez had bested the great Vasyl Lomachenko, after all. That made the brash New Yorker the toast of the fight game. Did anyone really expect him to go on to lose his world lightweight titles to the likes of Australia’s George Kambosos? The hard hitting Lopez was clearly expected to get past Kambosos, then move on to bigger things. Kambosos, however, had other plans. Proving himself to be a more skilled fighter than perhaps anyone had excepted, the challenger successfully outboxed Lopez, leading to the Aussies’s surprise title victory.
it was a great time to be George Kambosos. Everyone loves a David and Goliath story, and Kambosos’ victory over Lopez was certainly that. Again, it was a great time to be George Kambosos. Then came Devin Haney. There would be no repeat of the fight that won Kambosos his IBF and WBO titles. There would be no accolades or global applause. There would only be the cold hard fact that Kambosos was completely outclassed by the talented American. Things didn’t turn around when the two men went on to engage in a rematch. When all was said and done, Haney was clearly the better of the two fighters.
To make matters even worse, Kambosos ended up being stopped by Lomachenko a year afterwards. Clearly, it was not a great time to be George Kambosos. Now, though, Kambosos is coming back. For this Saturday the former world titlist will be taking on Jake Wyllie in his native Australia. Things couldn’t be more meaningful for Kambosos at this point. Wyllie is a last minute fill in. A loss this weekend would be disastrous for Kambosos, to say the least. Kambosos will have a hard time showing his face in the land down under if he suffers another loss this weekend.
Kambosos, however, certainly appears determined and focused. He should, in all objectivity, be able to handle Wyllie handily. Indeed, Kambosos would do well to completely dominate Wyllie. A decisive and impressive win is certainly what the man needs right now. All other matters will sort themselves out in time.
It’s worth keeping in mind the general weight realm Kambosos fights in is obviously intensely competitive. A man like Kambosos may or may not reach the top of the heap again. If he does, however, it may be as much through brains as through brawn. Without doubt, he’s more skill than power in the ring. It will be fascinating to see how well he puts that skill to work on Saturday.
