Australian George Kambosos is confidently preparing for his title fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko on Sunday, boasting that he has ‘bigger balls’ than the Ukrainian.
Lomachenko and Kambosos face off at a packed RAC Arena in Perth on Sunday, with the winner walking away with the vacant IBF lightweight world title.
And the Australian has no shortage of swagger going into the sold-out fight, saying: ‘When it comes to his heart, he won’t be able to match me.’
“When it comes to will, mind, heart and big balls, I’ve got the big Australian balls… and he can’t handle my pressure.”
Kambosos rose to international prominence in 2021 when he won the IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight belts by stunning Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden.
But back-to-back losses to Devin Haney – combined with last year’s unconvincing and controversial win over Maxi Hughes – have raised questions about whether Kambosos has lost his magic touch.
George Kambosos Jr. (right) and Vasiliy Lomachenko ahead of their IBF Lightweight World Title fight in Perth
Kambosos Jr arrived comfortably and said he had ‘bigger balls’ than his Ukrainian opponent
Now the powder has been ignited for an explosive showdown after the Kambosos camp faced accusations of racism over a change of referees.
Controversy surrounding the bout includes Kambosos’ father and manager Jim denying allegations of racism after requesting a change of referee for the fight scheduled for the RAC Arena in Perth.
“It’s true, I didn’t want Nakamura as the head referee,” Jim Kambosos said.
‘I’m not racist about this.
‘I wanted an English referee. I wanted to make sure there is clear and concise communication in the ring.
“Anyway, I lost the battle with the IBF. Nakamura will be the referee, but it wasn’t racism.’
Referee Steve Gray has resigned at the request of Kambosos Jr.’s father. called up for battle
Jim Kambosos insists there was no racism when Japanese referee Katsuhiko Nakamura was removed from fight
Kambosos Jr, who had previously failed to meet the weight requirement for a 2022 fight, showed up for the weigh-in in excellent physical condition, meeting the 135-pound limit without any problems.
He made headlines in November 2021 by defeating Teofimo Lopez, claiming four belts and establishing himself as a top competitor in the lightweight division.
That adds to Kambosos’ confidence considering Lomachenko’s past losses, including one against Lopez and a recent loss to Devin Haney, underscoring what Kambosos sees as Lomachenko’s waning dominance in their weight class.
“We know what Lomachenko has achieved in sport, but he has not achieved what I have achieved,” the Australian said.
‘I have been the undisputed champion, no matter what people say.
‘I had all four tires in play.
“I’m the only man in Australian boxing history to have done that. He never matched what I did and that sticks in his mind.
‘I’ve won the biggest fights. I beat Lopez. He couldn’t beat Lopez and he couldn’t beat Haney to be unchallenged.
“I know this is in the back of his mind and I’m going to use it to my advantage.”
Kambosos Jr claims to be in the best form of his career and a win would open a lot of doors for him
Lomachenko was scheduled to face Kambosos in 2022, but canceled the fight so he could return to Ukraine and defend his country against Russia’s invasion.
The undercard of Sunday’s event will feature two title fights.
Australian Andrew Moloney takes on Mexican Pedro Guevara for the interim WBC super flyweight title.
In the WBA women’s bantamweight bout, Australia’s Cherneka Johnson will aim to strip England’s Nina Hughes of her title.
The non-title heavyweight bout will see former WBA world champion Lucas Browne (31-5, 27KOs) take on Kiwi Hemi Ahio (21-1, 16KOs).