George Kambosos Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Kambosos Jr. |
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| Rated at | Lightweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 173 cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 June 1993 Sydney, Australia |
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| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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George Kambosos Jr. (born June 14, 1993) is an Australian professional boxer. He was the world champion in the lightweight division from 2021 to 2022. During this time, he held several major boxing titles at once, which is called being a unified champion. He also held the IBO lightweight title from 2022 to 2023.
Early Life and Boxing Start
George Kambosos Jr. was born in Sydney, Australia. His family comes from Sparta, Laconia, in Greece. He even has a famous Spartan saying tattooed on him: "Never retreat, never surrender."
When he was young, George played junior rugby league. He was often picked on for being overweight. To help him get fit, his dad signed him up for boxing classes when he was 11.
George quickly lost weight and became very good at boxing. He had to choose between rugby league and boxing as a teenager. He chose boxing and had a great amateur career, winning 85 out of 100 fights.
Professional Boxing Career
Starting Out
George Kambosos Jr. became a professional boxer in May 2013, when he was 19. He won his first fight by a technical knockout in the second round. In December 2016, he won his first major title, the WBA Oceania title. He beat Brandon Ogilvie, who was ranked ninth in the world.
He continued to win, earning the WBA Oceania and IBF Pan Pacific titles in 2017.
Training with Manny Pacquiao
In 2017, George got a big opportunity. He was chosen to be the main sparring partner for the famous boxer Manny Pacquiao. Sparring partners help boxers train by pretending to be their opponents. George continued to train with Pacquiao for many of his fights.
In April 2018, George signed a contract with a big boxing promoter called DiBella Entertainment. This helped him fight in bigger matches. He made his US debut in May 2018, winning by knockout in less than two minutes. In January 2019, he won another fight in Las Vegas. Later that year, he fought in Greece, his family's homeland, and won by knockout.
Moving Up the Ranks
Kambosos vs. Bey
In December 2019, George faced his toughest opponent yet, Mickey Bey. Bey was a former world champion. George won the fight by a close decision, showing he could compete with top boxers.
Kambosos vs. Selby
In October 2020, George fought Lee Selby in London. Selby was also a former world champion and highly ranked. George won by a split decision, meaning two judges thought he won and one thought Selby won. This victory made George the official challenger for the IBF lightweight world title.
Becoming a Unified World Champion
Kambosos vs. López
On November 27, 2021, George Kambosos Jr. fought Teófimo López for the unified lightweight world championship. López was undefeated and held several major titles. The fight was a big event, and it was delayed several times due to different reasons.
In the fight, both boxers knocked each other down once. It was a very close match. In the end, George Kambosos Jr. won by a split decision. This meant he became the new unified lightweight world champion, holding the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring magazine titles.
Kambosos vs. Haney
On June 5, 2022, George Kambosos Jr. faced Devin Haney in Melbourne, Australia. This fight was to decide the first undisputed lightweight champion of the four-belt era. This means the winner would hold all four major world titles.
George had a small issue before the fight when he was slightly over the weight limit, but he made the weight on his second try. In the fight, Haney won by a unanimous decision, meaning all judges thought Haney won. This caused George to lose his unified titles.
Kambosos vs. Haney II
Because of a rematch clause in their contract, George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney fought again on October 16, 2022, in Melbourne. Haney won the rematch by a unanimous decision again.
Lomachenko vs. Kambosos
On May 12, 2024, George fought Vasiliy Lomachenko for the vacant IBF lightweight title in Australia. Lomachenko won the fight by technical knockout in the 11th round. George's corner stopped the fight after he was knocked down twice in the round.
Professional Boxing Record
| 24 fights | 21 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 10 | 1 |
| By decision | 11 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Loss | 21–3 | Vasiliy Lomachenko | TKO | 11 (12), 2:49 | 12 May 2024 | RAC Arena, Perth, Australia | Lost IBO lightweight title; For vacant IBF lightweight title |
| 23 | Win | 21–2 | Maxi Hughes | MD | 12 | 22 Jul 2023 | Firelake Arena, Shawnee, Oklahoma, US | Won IBO lightweight title |
| 22 | Loss | 20–2 | Devin Haney | UD | 12 | 16 Oct 2022 | Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia | For WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 21 | Loss | 20–1 | Devin Haney | UD | 12 | 5 Jun 2022 | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | Lost WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles; For WBC lightweight title |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Teófimo López | SD | 12 | 27 Nov 2021 | Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | Won WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Lee Selby | SD | 12 | 31 Oct 2020 | The SSE Arena, London, England | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Mickey Bey | SD | 10 | 14 Dec 2019 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Richard Pena | TKO | 6 (10), 1:36 | 7 Jun 2019 | Galatsi Olympic Hall, Athens, Greece | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Rey Perez | UD | 8 | 19 Jan 2019 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | JR Magboo | TKO | 2 (8), 2:02 | 15 Jul 2018 | Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Jose Forero | KO | 1 (10), 1:48 | 5 May 2018 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, US | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Kaewfah Tor Buamas | TKO | 9 (10), 1:59 | 13 Oct 2017 | Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Australia | Retained WBA Oceania lightweight title; Won vacant IBF Pan Pacific lightweight title |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Qamil Balla | UD | 10 | 6 May 2017 | Vodafone Events Centre, Auckland, New Zealand | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Brandon Ogilvie | UD | 12 | 2 Dec 2016 | Luna Park, Sydney, Australia | Won WBA Oceania lightweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Issa Nampepeche | RTD | 4 (12), 3:00 | 8 Jun 2016 | Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia | Retained WBA-PABA lightweight title |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Joebert Delos Reyes | KO | 4 (12), 2:34 | 12 Dec 2015 | Alexandria Basketball Stadium, Sydney, Australia | Retained WBA-PABA lightweight title |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Leonardo Esteban Gonzalez | TKO | 3 (12), 2:59 | 4 Jul 2015 | Club Punchbowl, Sydney, Australia | Won WBA-PABA interim lightweight title |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Rodynie Rafol | UD | 6 | 31 Jan 2015 | Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Robert Toomey | UD | 10 | 29 Aug 2014 | Club Punchbowl, Sydney, Australia | Won Australian lightweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Akrapong Nakthaem | TKO | 1 (6), 2:30 | 9 Apr 2014 | Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, Australia | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Paitoon Jaikom | UD | 6 | 29 Jan 2014 | Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Michael Correa | TKO | 6 (8), 2:59 | 22 Nov 2013 | Croatian Club, Sydney, Australia | Won vacant NSW state lightweight title |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Roberto Oyan | UD | 6 | 17 Aug 2013 | Croatian Club, Sydney, Australia | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jayson Mac Gura | TKO | 2 (6), 2:06 | 18 May 2013 | Croatian Club, Sydney, Australia |
See Also
- List of world lightweight boxing champions
In Spanish: George Kambosos Jr. para niños
