George Kambosos Jr. said he likes being the underdog with no one believing in him during his fight with Vasily Lomachenko on Saturday night in Perth, Australia.
Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) seems a little overconfident as he can't afford to fight this fight in a reckless manner. Sometimes the doubters are right.
The odds don't look good
It actually doesn't bode well for Kambosos that fans and oddsmakers view him as an underdog. They feel he's going crazy, but the reason is because he's been looking good lately.
He has endured a lot of pressure and has struggled of late and although he is competing at home, he is no longer in a position to be selected nationally like Cindy or Melbourne. Is this the best result for Kambosos, who lost twice to Haney?
If Kambosos were still undefeated, would they headline stadiums in these two popular cities? It's hard not to see it that way.
For Kambosos, it will likely be a big step down from the Perth match he headlined after his upset win over Teofimo Lopez, but that's why Saturday's win is needed. If he loses on Saturday, it will be interesting to see where Kambosos will fight next. Will Alice Springs be next?
There are too many problems. Kambosos and Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) are fighting for the vacant IBF lightweight title at RAC Arena on ESPN and ESPN+.
The winner of this fight could face one of the other champions in a unification. Ideally, that would be Gervonta Davis, but that might be a little too much to expect.
Grow from doubt
“I like being the underdog. I like the big mega-fights in Australia that the whole world and the whole country is talking about. I like that underdog mentality,” George Kambosos・Junior spoke on Sean Zittel's YouTube channel.
“That mindset lights the fuse and says, 'This is it for Kambosos.'” It will be an easy fight for Lomachenko. ” If they think it’s going to be an easy fight, fine. We'll find out on May 12th. ”
If Kambosos wants to win, he may need to use rough tactics like the one Devin Haney used on him. Lomachenko is too good for him and I'm going to take him to school unless he throws out his rulebook and goes primitive.
“Lomachenko, he's very talented, he's got boxing legs and a boxing brain,” Kambosos said. “It takes more than that. I have my own attributes. I have my own speed and explosive power, but my heart was outrageous. No matter what happens in the fight, I have my own attributes. has the will and motivation.”
Kambosos isn't much of a puncher, so he shouldn't be expected to stop Lomachenko as he's just a finesse level guy.
“We're ready for whatever it takes,” Kambosos said. “I'm excited. I hope he's at his best right now. I hope he has no excuses and all that matters to me is winning. Deep down, I'm truly I'm a warrior. I'm here to fight the right fight.”
that's right. Kambosos is willing to do anything to win, which suggests he may be planning to rough up Lomachenko to improve his chances of winning the World Championship.
A history of betraying expectations
“I've always been an underdog in my career. This is why I grow. That's the kind of mentality I have. I'm very focused and have the passion and desire and will to win. ” Kambosos said.
Well, the only time Kambosos defied expectations was his win over Teofimo, but that was a special case because Theo was injured.