George Kambosos Jr. vs. Maxi Hughes: date, time, how to watch, background
Former 135-pound champion George Kambosos Jr. is scheduled to face Englishman Maxi Hughes on Saturday in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR. (20-2, 10 KOs)
VS. MAXI HUGHES (26-5-2, 5 KOs)
Date: Saturday, July 22
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Firelake Arena, Shawnee, Oklahoma
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Odds: Kambosos 3-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Keyshawn Davis vs. Francesco Patera, lightweights; Giovani Santillan vs. Erick Bone, welterweights
Prediction: Kambosos UD
Background: Kambosos will begin the rebuilding process against Hughes after back-to-back losses to Devin Haney that cost the Aussie his undisputed 135-pound championship and the respect he gained by upsetting Teofimo Lopez in New York City to become the champ in 2021. Haney outboxed Kambosos to win a one-sided decision and the titles in June of last year in Melbourne. The Sydney fighter lost an even wider decision in the rematch four months later in the same town. Kambosos is still ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, as high as No. 6 by the WBC. Hughes, a 33-year-old southpaw from Rossington, England, is a capable, but light-punching boxer. He has won seven consecutive fights since losing a decision to Liam Walsh in 2019, including an important majority decision over Kid Galahad last September. That lifted him into the Top 11 in two of the alphabet organizations. This will be Hughes’ second fight outside the U.K. He outpointed Viktor Kotochigov in Dubai in 2020.
