George Kambosos jnr finds himself where so many greats of the past have been before him – tasked with winning back his crown after, for the first time in his career, all he had was not enough.
To compare the lightweight title contender, who could become just the ninth undisputed champion of boxing’s four-belt era when he faces Devin Haney in Melbourne on Sunday, to some of the sport’s most iconic names would be premature.
But the 29-year-old wants to create a legacy to match them. In beating Haney at Rod Laver Arena, he could replicate what the likes of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard have done before him.
Ali bounced back from defeat to beat Joe Frazier in boxing’s most iconic trilogy, but Kambosos finds more parallels in the tale of Leonard, Roberto Duran and “No mas”.
It was June 1980. The shimmering titles that had followed Leonard to the ring were now wrapped around the waist of Duran, who had done just as he’d promised in the brawl in Montreal.
Leonard lasted 15 rounds before relinquishing his welterweight championship title, having abandoned the style that carried him to boxing’s summit.
They met again five months later, this time Leonard armed with a new game plan. Eight rounds in, Duran turned to the referee and quit. Whether he actually said “No mas” – the Spanish phrase for “no more” which has entered boxing folklore – remains up for debate, but there is no question he’d had enough.
Kambosos has lived this story. Well, most of it. He can write the final chapter this weekend.
He relinquished his lightweight titles following the first defeat of his career after adopting a style that would never be enough to topple American sensation Haney, who jabbed his way to the undisputed championship.
The rematch comes four months later, with Kambosos adamant he has the game plan to win back his titles.
The first step is getting inside Haney’s jab. Haney landed 78 in their first meeting, routinely picking off Kambosos to secure a unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
Haney landed 147 punches that night. Kambosos connected with just 100. For context, he landed 182 punches in his upset win over Teofimo Lopez to capture his lightweight titles last year.
Boxing legend Jeff Fenech says Kambosos needs to bring the heat when he steps inside the ring on Sunday.
“Think of myself – when I fought Jerome Coffee, when I fought Steve McCrory, when I fought Greg Richardson – those guys were fast and great boxers. Pressure is not being hit, it’s the thought of being hit,” Fenech said.
George Kambosos and Devin Haney will meet again on Sunday.Credit:Getty
“[Kambosos] has to do a lot more than he did the first time, that’s for sure. He has got to take risk for reward, and he has got to be prepared to do it. He talks up the warrior code, and if he fights like a warrior, then he’s a chance. If he lets Haney keep his distance and do what he wants again, he’ll be no chance.”
Haney is faster than Kambosos. He showed as much in their first fight in front of more than 41,000 fans. But timing can beat speed. A fighter can walk in the rain only for so long without getting wet. The challenger showed that when he sent shockwaves through Madison Square Garden by dropping Lopez with a perfectly timed overhand right in the opening round.
Now he has to strike a balance between timing and urgency, his father confident a new-look corner can deliver after Kambosos linked up with former trainer Chris Bakis and parted ways with Javiel Centeno.
“Definitely, that’s one of the changes,” Jim Kambosos said. “We didn’t have urgency in the corner, the trainer didn’t execute the right instructions to George. We’re not going to fully blame the trainer but that was part of the adjustments we made.
“This time around we have an all-Australian team, we’ve hooked up with our old trainer George was 14-0 [under] in Australia. George has got the fire in the belly. Come Sunday, it’s going to be a totally different corner with a lot more urgency, and a totally different George Kambosos.”
Perhaps the greatest thing working in Kambosos’ favour is the underdog tag.
Here stands a man who had to hustle to sell tickets to a 500-seat show at the Croatian Club in Punchbowl, where he could smell the smoke from the pokie machines and the food in the bistro as he walked to the ring. No longer a world champion, Kambosos has been written off.
“It’s been familiar because I’ve had to be the underdog for most of my career, I’ve been out of reach for a lot of my career,” Kambosos said.
“This time it feels familiar, it’s great. I’m in a good position and I’ve put in the work. I know what I’ve done and I know I will win this fight and regain my championship belts.”
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