Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos | ESPN - May 11, 2024

[Ruthless-RKO]

so they ask for him to leave, then he is granted leave, but decides not to leave?

sux cuz it wouldve been a great fight

hopefully kambo's opponent is still someone interesting

Haney??

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

EGIS KLIMAS: TALKS BEGIN WITH GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR, LOMACHENKO IS NOT RETIRING

Vasyl Lomachenko has gone quiet since his defeat to Devin Haney this past May.

The former three weight world champion won on many people’s scorecards when he collided with Haney for the undisputed lightweight world title in Las Vegas, losing by a narrow unanimous decision.

Promoter Bob Arum told Ukrainian outlet LuckyPunch that Lomachenko was “likely” to face George Kambosos Jr. for what is expected to be a vacant IBF world title if the pair meet early next year in Australia.

However, when ProBox TV spoke with manager Egis Klimas yesterday in London, he was not so forthcoming on the subject.

“Ahhh, a lot of people are talking and you can’t stop them from talking.” Klimas said when asked if Lomachenko would in-fact face Kambosos early next year. “There is nothing confirmed, just people talking.”

There had been fears from Lomachenko fans and stories in Ukrainian media of the two time Olympic gold medalist retiring at 35 years old.

“He never mentioned he was going to retire.” Klimas added. “He just said that he needs to take a little bit of a break until the end of the year. He will be back, definitely.”

Haney currently holds the IBF title at 135 pounds along with the WBA and WBO, but has been made a champion in recess by the WBC. He makes the long expected move up to 140 pounds when he takes on Regis Prograis for the WBC title at light welterweight in San Francisco on December 9. The lightweight division awaits Haney’s impending decision to move up a weight class for good.

[Lenny Cravats]

Close fight that, Lomachenko - Haney. To me, it was one of those 'close but clear' decisions. I certainly though Loma had done enough to win.

Strange stuff with Loma that he's never rematched any of his 3 defeats. He seemed to have the beating of Lopez in the second half of the fight, I thought he won the Haney fight and no doubt he'd have had the upper hand over Salido in rematch.

Loma has slowed down a fair bit. If this fight happens in '24, I'd be picking Kombosos for a clear win.

[coneye]

Close fight that, Lomachenko - Haney. To me, it was one of those 'close but clear' decisions. I certainly though Loma had done enough to win.

Strange stuff with Loma that he's never rematched any of his 3 defeats. He seemed to have the beating of Lopez in the second half of the fight, I thought he won the Haney fight and no doubt he'd have had the upper hand over Salido in rematch.

Loma has slowed down a fair bit. If this fight happens in '24, I'd be picking Kombosos for a clear win.

Don't know so much , think Lomo is always going to be too clever and smooth for Kambo , he is very limited , and not the fastest , Loma quite easy for me , UNLESS he's really slipped personally i think the break will have done him good he's been at it a long time

[margaret thatcher]

Close fight that, Lomachenko - Haney. To me, it was one of those 'close but clear' decisions. I certainly though Loma had done enough to win.

Strange stuff with Loma that he's never rematched any of his 3 defeats. He seemed to have the beating of Lopez in the second half of the fight, I thought he won the Haney fight and no doubt he'd have had the upper hand over Salido in rematch.

Loma has slowed down a fair bit. If this fight happens in '24, I'd be picking Kombosos for a clear win.

kambo did look pretty bad last fight tbh, against a much worse opponent than haney

[Sammy Scaff]

Loma will have to have regressed a long way to lose this one.
Cambo seemed to get lucky in catching Teo in a bad place and I can't ever see him beating that level of opponent again.

[wrighty]

Would Loma be better down at super feather?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Would Loma be better down at super feather?

Probably..

The better and more lucrative fights were always at 135.. That's why he has stayed there so long.

[wrighty]

I would have liked to see him get a few more belts at super feather. Him v George will be good though. Mind you, Hughes beat George I thought

[Ruthless-RKO]

Looking at April for the Vacant IBF Lightweight title.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lomachenko vs. Kambosos Planned For April In Australia For Vacant IBF Lightweight Title

Top Rank boss Bob Arum said in August that a potential pitting between Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. was "nonsense."

At the time, Loma had opted not to fight for the rest of the year, eventually passing on negotiations for a potential Shakur Stevenson fight.

After undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney vacated his 135-pound titles in November, Arum now believes a fight between the Ukrainian Lomachenko and Greek-Austrailian Kambosos makes all the sense in the world.

“We're trying to finalize a world title fight at 135 pounds between Lomachenko and Kambosos,” Arum told Boxing Scene in an interview on Monday. “I really believe we've made a lot of progress. I believe that fight will happen sometime in April in Australia. I'm looking forward to it. Australia is a great country.”

Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) and Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) would likely fight for the vacant IBF title.

Kambosos is ranked No. 2 by the sanctioning body following his majority decision win against Maxi Hughes in June in an IBF eliminator. Lomachenko is ranked as the No. 3 lightweight by the IBF. The No. 1 slot is vacant, just like the title.

Lomachenko is a former three-division champion and a unified lightweight titlist who last fought Haney in May and suffered a close unanimous decision loss.

Kambosos reached the pinnacle of his career to this point by beating Teofimo Lopez Jr. in 2021 for the WBO, WBA, and IBF lightweight titles but suffered a pair of losses to Haney as well in 2022 in Australia.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Vasiliy Lomachenko-George Kambosos fight set for May 12, sources say

The Vasiliy Lomachenko-George Kambosos fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title will take place May 12 in Perth, Australia, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

The fight will be televised on ESPN on the night of May 11 in the U.S.

Lomachenko, a future Hall of Famer, and Kambosos, the former undisputed lightweight champion, planned to fight in the summer of 2022 in Australia. However, Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) elected to remain in Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia.

In Lomachenko's absence, Kambosos, 30, defended his four titles against Devin Haney and was routed in June 2022. Haney returned to Kambosos' native Australia for another wide-points victory four months later.

Lomachenko, 35, is coming off a thrilling, razor-thin decision defeat to Haney in May. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is a three-division champion. He is ESPN's No. 1-ranked fighter at 135 pounds.

Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) won the undisputed lightweight championship when he defeated Teofimo Lopez in ESPN's 2021 Upset of the Year.

Kambosos, ESPN's No. 5 lightweight, is coming off a controversial decision win over Maxi Hughes in June.

The Moloney twins, Jason and Andrew, will appear on the undercard. Jason Moloney retained his bantamweight title Saturday night with a thrilling majority-decision victory over Saul Sanchez.

[gregregegg]

Kambo, Moloney, Moloney. That’s a great start to an Aussie card.

Goodal vs lucus brown would make sense (lucus is from Perth, Goodal is a top rank fighter also from Aus. (Could Mabey get the Aus title or somthing on the line with some sneaky bribes.. )

[omalley]

Kambo, Moloney, Moloney. That’s a great start to an Aussie card.

Goodal vs lucus brown would make sense (lucus is from Perth, Goodal is a top rank fighter also from Aus. (Could Mabey get the Aus title or somthing on the line with some sneaky bribes.. )

Lucas Browne is seriously risking his life in the ring now. Не should have retired after Miller.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Cent0089]

trash fight

[gregregegg]

Kambo, Moloney, Moloney. That’s a great start to an Aussie card.

Goodal vs lucus brown would make sense (lucus is from Perth, Goodal is a top rank fighter also from Aus. (Could Mabey get the Aus title or somthing on the line with some sneaky bribes.. )

Lucas Browne is seriously risking his life in the ring now. Не should have retired after Miller.

While I do kinda agree I think a Perth fairwrll would be cool. (I like Goodal or terrizki for the aus title but you could also just give him a proper can to KO and retire with a win at home…)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

Australia’s fighting emperor and former unified world champion, George Kambosos Jr., is on a mission for a new belt. Standing in his way is a Ukrainian fight legend, Vasiliy Lomachenko, a three-division world champion intent on writing another triumphant chapter in his Hall of Fame career.

Lomachenko and Kambosos will clash for the vacant IBF lightweight world title as part of a world title tripleheader on Sunday, May 12, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Two additional world title fights will be announced in the coming weeks.

“George Kambosos is one of the best lightweights in the world. Loma is a legend. He is also an aging and smaller legend. George Kambosos has never been more hungry and has the chance to climb the mountain again. It’s going to be a great fight and a huge event in Perth,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.

Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Top Rank, Ferocious Promotions, TEG Sport and Duco Events, Lomachenko-Kambosos and the two additional world title fights will be broadcast in prime time in the United States on Saturday, May 11 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

“Vasiliy Lomachenko is among the most electrifying fighters I’ve ever seen, a physical marvel still at the top of his game,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We’ve seen George Kambosos Jr. upset the odds before, and he is a warrior that cannot be underestimated. This is a fascinating clash of styles that marks the most significant boxing match ever to take place in the beautiful city of Perth. Thank you to the Western Australian Government for their support in making this historic event a reality.”

Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs), a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won the featherweight world title in his third pro fight and was a three-weight champion within his first dozen bouts. Despite being undersized as a lightweight, “Loma” toppled Jorge Linares, Jose Pedraza and Luke Campbell to become a three-belt unified champion. After a 2020 points loss to Teofimo Lopez inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, he reeled off three consecutive wins. In the midst of that winning streak, he joined a territorial defense battalion in his homeland during the Russia-Ukraine war. Last May, he came close to becoming the undisputed lightweight champion, dropping a hotly contested decision to unbeaten phenom Devin “The Dream” Haney.

Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs), from Sydney, Australia, spent eight-plus years climbing the lightweight ranks after turning pro in 2013. He earned the IBF No. 1 spot after outpointing Lee Selby in October 2020. Almost 13 months later, he authored the 2021 Upset of the Year with a split decision over Teofimo Lopez to become the division’s unified world champion. In June 2022, his showdown against Haney for the undisputed title drew more than 41,000 fans to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Kambosos lost a unanimous decision to Haney, then dropped the rematch by decision four months later at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. “The Emperor” regrouped in July 2023, edging Maxi Hughes by majority decision to secure another crack at world title glory.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release | Nina Hughes Inks Promotional Pact With Lou DiBella

Undefeated WBA Bantamweight World Champion Nina Hughes has inked a promotional agreement with Lou DiBella. Hughes, who hails from Billericay, Essex, England, was the fastest ever British professional boxer to win a world title when she captured the WBA strap in just her fifth fight.

“I'm thrilled to have Nina join our stable,” said DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “She's a great lady, and I'm proud to promote another resilient single mom who never quit on her dream.

“This is such a stacked division, and we have several bantamweights on the DiBella roster,” DiBella continued. “We're going to get Nina busy and fighting. There are so many good fights to make at this weight, and I'm excited to work with Nina, Leon and Kevin.”

In November 2022, at 40 years old, Hughes, now 6-0 (2 KOs), took a chance, and traveled to Dubai to face the previously undefeated Jamie Mitchell, 9-1-2 (5 KOs).

“People dismissed me because of my age,” said Hughes. “They laughed at me.”

Hughes was undeterred. Using a consistent jab and getting the better of the exchanges, she won a 10-round unanimous decision against Mitchell, cementing her status as the WBA champion at 118 pounds.

The doubters didn’t consider her extensive and successful amateur career, one that began at 25 years old when she stepped foot into Chadwell St. Mary Amateur Boxing Club in Essex. She had stopped in for a boxercise class, with the intention of getting in shape. She so enjoyed it that her coach convinced her to try one amateur fight. She won her fight and was hooked.

She would go on to travel the world, representing her home country in numerous international tournaments, engaging in more than 70 amateur fights. It was a career that would be put on hold after a heartbreaking loss to Nicola Adams in the 2012 Olympic trials.

Hughes took some time off to start a family. Now a single mother of two sons, she relishes the opportunity to show them how hard work and dedication can pay off.

“My oldest son, Leo, carries the belt to the ring with me,” said Hughes. “He would carry the Commonwealth title I won in my third fight and now he carries my WBA belt.”

Her younger son is still getting acquainted with the sweet science but sometimes accompanies his mother to the gym. Both boys look up to their mom and she fights for them.

“My kids push me,” said Hughes. “I want to succeed for them. I want them to see me keep winning, and see the determination that pushes me on. I promise them a trip to the toy shop every time I win, so I can't be losing.”

After her first son was born, Hughes returned to boxing to get back into shape post-pregnancy. To help give her extra motivation, she planned to fight in one more amateur bout. However, she wouldn’t stop at just one, competing in the amateur circuit for several more years.

She made her professional debut in December 2021, winning a decision against a far more experienced professional in Klaudia Ferenczi, a veteran of 114 fights. Hughes has been trained by Kevin Lilley, out of Newlands Gym in Essex, since her pro debut. She has also recently signed with manager Leon Sudbury.

One of Hughes’ keys to success is the support around her. Working part time as a legal secretary, mostly from home, Hughes has been able to get training in during her lunch break, with the approval of her employers who traveled to Dubai to see her win her world title. Hughes’ parents also play a pivotal role in helping with her children.

On June 10, 2023, Hughes made the first defense of her WBA title, winning a near-shutout 10-round unanimous decision against Katie Healy at Wembley Arena in England.

“I’m really excited to carry on my journey with DiBella Entertainment,” said Hughes of the signing. “I can’t wait to get back in the ring. I want to become the unified world champion and then become undisputed.”

The DiBella Entertainment stable includes some of the top talent in the women's bantamweight division. IBF World Champion Miyo Yoshida, IBO World Champion Amanda Galle, IBF #1 mandatory contender Shurretta Metcalf, and top Australian fighter Cherneka Johnson, a former world champion, all count themselves among DiBella's roster of talented women.

Yoshida, Metcalf and long-time DBE fighter Heather Hardy are also single mothers. Hardy fights for her daughter Annie’s college tuition, Metcalf is raising two sons, one with autism, and the world saw Yoshida share her world title victory with her daughter Miina.

[amwsnw]

I'm really looking forward to this fight. From what I hear George is doing everything he can to prepare to the best of his ability, which should should have him put on a more Kambosos like performance than he did against Hughes.
2 other world titles on the card and I believe a World title eliminator. Hopefully it attracts a big crowd at a stadium which should be great for boxing.

[tigermoth87]

Is Devin Haney quacking the rematch?

Loma beat him. Was a complete robbery.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Nina Hughes-Cherneka Johnson WBA Title Fight To Land on May 12 Lomachenko-Kambosos Show

Cherneka Johnson will drop back down in weight in a bid to become a two-division titlist.

Boxing Scene has learned that plans are in place for Melbourne’s Johnson to challenge WBA bantamweight titleholder Nina Hughes. The bout is expected to be announced as part of a May 12 title fight tripleheader on ESPN from RAC Arena Perth, Australia. The show’s headliner was already confirmed earlier this week, as former champs George Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) and Vasiliy Lomachenko will meet for the vacant IBF lightweight belt.

The timing of the fight makes sense. England’s Hughes recently signed with Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella, whose DiBella Entertainment company also has Johnson under contract.

Fittingly, their paths have previously crossed although unaware at the time that it would lead to a head-on collision in their very next fight. Both boxers appeared on the Sunny Edwards-Andres Campos undercard last June 10 at OVO Arena Wembley in London, though with drastically different results.

Hughes (6-0, 2 KOs) turned away the challenge of unbeaten Katie Healy over ten rounds to defend her WBA bantamweight title for the first time. The win was her third over an undefeated opponent in the span of her last four fights. The 41-year-old married mother of two from Billericay, Essex defeated Jamie Mitchell in November 2022 to win the WBA bantamweight title in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Johnson (15-2, 6 KOs) saw her title reign end on the June 10 show. The 28-year-old—better known as ‘Sugar Neeks’—fell short to the supremely talented Ellie Scotney over ten rounds to lose her IBF junior featherweight title.

Johnson previously won the belt in an April 2022 ten-round majority decision victory over Melissa Esquivel in her Melbourne hometown. Her lone successful defense also came in her hometown, in an October 2022 win over Susie Ramadan. The win came on the undercard of the Devin Haney-George Kambosos undisputed lightweight championship from Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

Neither Hughes nor Johnson have fought since their separate appearances on the June 10 show in London.

Johnson last fought at bantamweight in a March 2021 split decision defeat to Shannon O’Connell in Bendigo, Australia.

[apollo creed]

good fight.