The tough road to the home of boxer George Kambosos Jr.

But just days after arguably the biggest fight in Australian boxing history, the Kambosos’ humble beginnings remained at the forefront of the champion’s mind. He says “a chip on his shoulder”, which continues to motivate him day in and day out.

Kambosos told ESPN from the Mortdale gym 10 days after the fight: “Nobody gave me nothing, I’ve never been given silver spoons like other men. “I wasn’t given a background right away, I wasn’t from an amateur or Olympus background as a celebrity, I had to do it the hard way.

“But I wouldn’t want it any other way, because I look at myself in the mirror, I look at myself in this gym and I think, ‘You know what, you got here the hard way.’ If I didn’t pass [Teofimo] Lopez fought and he beat me, then I would still say ‘You did it the hard way. I never lie to myself. ‘

“And that’s what’s so important, going through the facility, going through the way we did it, selling tickets, hustling every bit that I can, building my fan base, so many people have dropped out. dropped me in the first place but I got their attention and I got them to follow.Now a lot of them are supporting me, and if they still don’t support me they’re still following me. So everything in my career means something to me and I love it, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Nasari, who has fought for an Australian title on his own, recalls the battles when he truly knew Kambosos was something special.

“He knocked out Michael Correa for the NSW State title. He hit Correa with a left hook and he just jumped out of the ring – he didn’t want to play anymore,” Nasari said. “But then the fight with Robert Toomey, [Kambosos] not excited – he got 10 innings and he took his time. When he hit Toomey – a great boxer who won the Australian lightweight, middle and super middleweight – in the middle rounds, he just took his time and was like him. She wants to try her best and go the distance. And he won by unanimous decision. “

Kambosos said that fight was just another case to prove the doubters wrong.

“That match against Toomey was the right timing, the right fight for me, he’s a former two-time Australia champion and he’s won Australia. I had to go and take that belt away from him and that’s it. what I did, I beat and bruised him, over 10 rounds, and showed Australia and the local boxing community who I am. Who is this kid? Who is this guy? much?Does he really understand?

“I proved that day that I had it, and I continue to prove that one day I will be world champion.”

Kambosos’ fight against Haney and junior middleweight Tim Tszyu rises to the zenith of a world championship, along with a growing list of Australian heavyweight contenders and a rise in world champion The IBF women’s bantamweight division, Ebanie Bridges, all points to a boxing revival Down Under, with talk of a golden era in Australian boxing moving closer to legitimacy.

But the sport can also outdo itself, especially for young boxers who have been successful at home before entering the world arena.

This is where Kambosos differs from Tsyzu, who has become more known while staying in Australia. The lightweight champion has headed overseas in search of elite training opponents and, ultimately, matches that will put him on the radar of a world title scramble.

“What he does – which is a bit different from a lot of Australian boxers – is he lives overseas and spends a lot of time in the US training and competing there, and that has certainly worked for him. there,” Australian boxing analyst Paul Upham told ESPN. “When fighting Lopez or even when he goes to Wembley [in London] against Lee Selby, it helped him. [Hall of Famer Australian boxer] Kostya Tsyzu always tells me that people underestimate how difficult it is to go to war abroad, to fight far away from home. People underestimate how hard it is.

“What happens with the Australian boxers is that they only play against local people, and unless they bring in quality opponents from overseas, they only have a certain level of talent. [available]. “

Despite winning over Mickey Bey at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and then Selby, the Kambosos had little chance of taking down the then-undefeated Lopez once again at the famous New York City arena. in November of last year. But as is the story of his career so far, Kambosos overcame Lopez, over a late knockdown all the way, to claim the WBA, WBO, IBF and The Ring lightweight titles each.

That victory, and the adversity he faced within it, only added to Kambosos’ unwavering faith and the knowledge that whatever Haney threw at him on Sunday, he had it. counterattack ability.

“I always knew that I was a champion, that I was going to be world champion and I had that inside of me, that whatever I had to do, I was going to win that fight,” Kambosos said. . “But it’s good that I was also eliminated in Round 10. I showed myself as a fighter. I can speak and I can show it, bit by bit, I’m a fighter, I’m a Spartan. But when you’re really there and I have to show it to the world, to get up, a lot of guys will say ‘no, that’s enough for tonight’ but I got up and fought back at Episodes 11 and 12.”

The comfort of home fights, something the Kambosos hasn’t experienced since 2017, is a big plus for the Australians, so more than 50,000 crowds will make their way to Marvel Stadium. But Upham is wary of Haney’s pedigree and has warned similar fans expecting a home coronation day for the Kambosos not to get ahead.

“Haney is a boxer, he’s a very good fighter, very skilled,” he said. “His amateur record is 138 wins and only 8 losses. And he turned pro at the age of 17. is a real talent, this guy is very skillful. He is not a professional. knockout in any way, but more of a boxing enthusiast; very skilled, very skillful. He won’t have his father around – Bill Haney can’t get a visa – so I not sure how that would affect Haney.

“But it’s a real fight. Most people overseas consider Haney the favorite. They look at Lopez’s game because of the Kambosos and they think Lopez is disabled because he has some. he had a weight problem and he had some plays out in the ring with his family. So they thought that night Lopez wasn’t the best and George beat a weak guy.”

This brings us back to the chip that still rests firmly on Kambosos’ shoulders.

While he may enjoy a rare opportunity to train at home, the opportunity to spend more time with his young family and the prospect of eventually bringing a big show to the Australian sporting community. as he always promised, Kambosos still couldn’t shake the thought that global respect wasn’t at the level befitting a champion holding all but one of the lightweight straps.

And that, he said, is a good thing.

“The chip on my shoulder makes me crave it more than ever. People who have said things about us, it’s okay, they’ll see. But go look for them on the night of the fight, I bet you won’t find them. where.

“The chip on that shoulder, I don’t think it’s going to work,” he told ESPN. “But when it works, maybe it’s time for me to give it up and move on to something else.”

The continuation remains on the agenda after honing his skills on the other side of the world and definitively responding to all of his critics so far. Beat Haney on Sunday, to be crowned the undisputed lightweight world champion, and those remaining critics won’t have a single punch left to throw.

And the Kambosos’ special place in the annals of Australian sporting history will be secured.