By: Sean Crose
George Kambosos is looking to get back into form on Saturday when he takes on the widely unknown Maxi Hughes at Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The lightweight event is scheduled for the 12th and is the main event of the ESPN and Top Rated cards. The last time he fought in the United States, Kambosos shocked a lot of people by overtaking Teofimo Lopez and removing the honored American from his IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight titles. Since then, however, Kambosos has lost two straight games to American Devin Haney in his native Australia. Now without his title, Kambosos once again aims to make his mark.
The opening half saw Hughes 26-5-2 attempt to knock out Kambosos 20-2 with a jab to the south. Each man can approach the other with powerful blows while trying to control the terrain. Hughes picked his men in the second minute while Kambosos tried to close the gap, but had some success. The third round is quite interesting. Kambosos pushed for action, but Hughes often caught the former world player walking in. Fast-paced and clumsy, the fourth part is a study of two men trying to pick their positions for an efficient landing. Neither fighter did anything remarkable, though the action was certainly swift.
A fight broke out briefly in the fifth inning before Hughes went on to fight the latter leg. Both men had their moments, but blood started running down Kambosos’ face. The Australians’ low vigilance is against him. Hughes seemed to have made more effective shots in the sixth inning, but he was also bleeding late in the round. Both fighters swam through the seventh round without really having the upper hand. Hughes seemed too fast and awkward for Kambosos in season eight. With that said, Kambosos had a better ninth, his aggression finally worked.
There was no doubt in the tenth that Hughes was slowing down a bit, and the Kambosos were taking advantage of the situation by launching clean shots with more frequency. A rejuvenated Kambosos continued to fight well into the eleventh round – although a tired Hughes was certainly still in the game. The twelfth and final round is hard to call each man did quite well for himself. The judges ultimately ruled in Kambosos’ favor with scores of 114-114, 117-111 and 115-113
