MAXI HUGHES will get the opportunity to earn the biggest win of his career on July 22.
The Briton faces former lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
For weeks it had been rumoured that the two would fight one another this summer and on Tuesday it was made official.
Kambosos recently signed a multi-fight co-promotional deal with Top Rank who will work in conjunction with DiBella Entertainment and Ferocious Promotions. Hughes is currently a free agent after parting from Matchroom who he had worked in tandem with for the last two years.
Hughes 26-5 (5) has been in a rich vein of form since 2020 and is unbeaten in seven fights. His three-year run includes victories over Jono Carroll, Jovanni Straffon, Ryan Walsh and Kid Galahad. Beating Kambosos, whose only losses have come against Devin Haney, would take his career to new heights.
“I’m excited to realise my dream of fighting in the USA and to showcase my skills to a new audience,” Hughes said. “I’ll do what’s necessary to get the win.”
July 22 will be the Yorkshireman’s first fight in eight months. It will be nine for Kambosos 20-2 (10) once the first bell rings in Oklahoma. The Australian reached to the top of the mountain when he toppled Teofimo Lopez back in November 2021. His stunning triumph at the Madison Square Garden Theatre thrust him into the sights of all leading contenders as the man to beat.
However, his first defence proved to be a disappointing one when Devin Haney travelled to Australia to comfortably defeat Kambosos in Melbourne last June. A contractual rematch on home soil gave ‘Ferocious’ first crack at beating the gifted American but their return bout in October was more of the same. Haney proved yet again he was a level above his rival.
George Kambosos (Getty Images)
“I am extremely excited and motivated to make a serious statement against Maxi Hughes in my return fight in the United States, the Mecca of boxing, live on ESPN and Main Event PPV in Australia,” Kambosos said.
“Having fought the best lightweight boxers in the world, I now know I have become an even better fighter and have added further artillery and weapons to my overall fight game. Maxi Hughes is a good boxer, a tough Englishman, and I’m sure he will try his best, but I know, and he knows that his best will not be enough.
“Hughes is not elite, and when you have been in there with elite boxers like I have, you pick up on the mistakes in a boxer like Hughes.”
The chief support bout to Kambosos-Hughes pits former 2020 Olympic silver medallist Keyshawn Davis 8-0 (6) against two-time European lightweight champion Francesco Patera 28-3 (10).
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