3 minute read
Australian underdog George Kambosos is convinced he'll conquer undefeated champion Teofimo Lopez in Sunday's lightweight world-title fight in New York.
He's a huge underdog but Australian boxer George Kambosos is convinced he can't be beaten in Sunday's unified mega-fight against undefeated world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
Kambosos is ranked a 10-1 long shot by most bookmakers to bring home the IBF, WBA and WBO belts despite boasting his own unbeaten record from 19 professional bouts.
Lopez (16-0, 12KO) is adamant he'll take out the challenger in the first round when they finally square off in New York after a staggering six postponements.
Kambosos has other ideas.
"My speed and the way I move and explosive power and shots that I land and throw and the punches in bunches and the combination punches that I have in my artillery, and my stamina and my fitness is just too much for this kid," Kambosos told AAP.
"He's been saying he'll knock me out first round. Before he got COVID on June 19, he said he was going to knock me out within three, so what's changed?"
Kambosos believes the five-month delay since their original scheduled meeting will work in his favour - and definitely against Lopez.
"His fitness and his stamina is nowhere near what it has to be so he's hoping and he's praying that it's one round because it has to be," the Sydney slugger said.
"What's he going to do for the next 11 when he doesn't get that first-round knockout?
"If that's his only game plan, then he's in big, big trouble.
"I'm fully prepared. I'm ready for 12 rounds. I'm old school so, if they want, we can do 15 rounds like the greats of our sport."
Accused of not possessing a knockout punch, despite winning 10 of his fights by TKO, Kambosos has been branded merely a "volume puncher".
The 28-year-old even takes that as a compliment.
"Look, volume punching in boxing is if you throw a lot of punches and I do that," Kambosos said.
"I've got a big motor. Throughout the 12 rounds, I keep going.
"Every round I keep getting better and better and keep throwing more punches.
"But my defence is so underrated in the boxing world.
"I'm super sharp and my reflexes, my head movement, my footwork in and out, they're going to find out the hard way - Lopez is.
"They don't believe in my defence and think this is going to be an easy fight for him, but they're going to find out the hard way next week."
Lopez hailed himself the "Albert Einstein" of boxing after breaking down Vasiliy Lomachenko in Las Vegas last October to strip the Ukraine of his WBA and WBO belts.
"He can call himself whatever he wants. I'm going to call myself the undisputed champion when I take his belts," Kambosos said.
"I see what he does. He's really a one, one, two kind of puncher.
"He relies on his power but when you've got a guy like myself who can bang as well but has super fast hands and ring IQ, I just know I'm going to beat him.
"Everything that he brings to the table, I do better."
