In one of 2023’s more unexpected fights, Yorkshire’s world-ranked lightweight Maxi Hughes takes on former unified world champion George Kambosos in July. The 135lb showdown takes place at Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The undercard will feature a future potential opponent for the headliners as 8-0 Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis steps up against former European lightweight champion Francesco Patera.
These two men put themselves on the global boxing map in 2021. Kambosos shocked the world by dethroning the unbeaten Teofimo Lopez for the unified lightweight championship. That split decision win turned the Australian from a respected pro to a genuine star. It is a status he has never looked back from, headlining two major cards since.
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Hughes kicked off his 2021 by winning the British lightweight title with an eighth-round stoppage of Paul Hyland Jr. But his year truly peaked when he outpointed heavily-favoured IBO champion Jovanni Straffon at Headingley. The Mexican had knocked out James Tennyson in a single round in his previous fight and few gave ‘Maximus’ a chance. But he boxed the fight of his life to take the title and the underdog victory.
While Kambosos and Hughes would likely both name 2021 as their career-high, 2022 had very different fortunes in store for these upcoming opponents. Kambosos defended his titles against Devin Haney at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. The American beat him in front of his home crowd to take the titles George had worked so hard to win. ‘The Dream’ would then repeat the trick in a rematch, this time at the Rod Laver Arena in the same city. Kambosos has not fought since that October reverse, preferring to regroup and reset for another assault on the division.
Hughes will have enjoyed last year a whole lot more than his soon-to-be-rival. The proud Yorkshireman expanded on his breakout 2021 with a pair of decision victories. Firstly, former British champion Ryan Walsh was dealt with via unanimous decision. Then Hughes recorded perhaps his career best win when he outpointed former world champion Kid Galahad last September. The result solidified Hughes in the global rankings and helped set the table for this match with Kambosos.
This bout will show once and for all what stage each man is at in their careers. Kambosos captured the ultimate prize by shocking a fighter who was on the cusp of pound-for-pound greatness. But now he’s on a two-fight slide and a third defeat in a row would probably permanently end his hopes of recapturing the belts.
Unlike Kambosos, Hughes is still riding his recent wave of momentum. Hughes has won his last seven fights while he went 3-3 in the six that preceded this run. His 26-5 record betrays the fact he has not been the coddled, protected prospect for much of his career. Hughes has battled his way into world title reckoning the hard way. But will that luck run out against the best opponent he’s faced so far?
Fights like this should always be applauded. Kambosos could and perhaps should have taken a soft touch here. A knock-over to get back into the win column after two chastening defeats to Haney. Nobody would have judged him for doing that but instead the impressive Aussie is taking on a man in the form of his life. Hughes too could have maybe matched himself a little easier. Ranked by the IBF and the WBC, Maxi could have played the waiting game rather than climbed in with the man who was the best lightweight on the planet not too long ago.
This will be a fascinating outing and potentially very close. Both have been in a fair few distance fights recently, meaning this one looks likely to go the whole way. At this point Kambosos is the favourite to come out on top but Hughes has never been overly worried about what the bookies reckon. It’s a risky fight for both but it will be highly rewarding for both the winner and ultimately the fans.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
