George Kambosos Jr has vowed to send Vasiliy Lomachenko into retirement when the pair clash for the vacant IBF lightweight world title on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Ukrainian great Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs), who is in Australia to try and become a two-time lightweight world champion, returns to the ring for the first since his unanimous decision defeat to Devin Haney.
“Ferocious” Kambosos defeated Maxi Hughes in July after back-to-back loses to Haney, with the home favourite now vowing to defeat Lomachenko in Perth and move closer to becoming the headline act in the lightweight division.
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“I’m extremely confident,” Kambosos said on Thursday. “I bring that confidence from my preparation. I’ve had a tremendous training camp. The confidence is higher than ever.
“When I beat Lomachenko, there will be no more road for him to go. This is retirement for him.
“I truly believe it [winning]. The way I’m sparring. The speed that I have. He’s never seen this kind of speed and explosive power. The will and the heart that I have.
“The desire I have to win this fight. I want this bad. I’ve prepared extremely hard for this fight. I’ve left no stone unturned. So, Sunday, you will all see.”
The pair have previously come close to fighting on multiple occasions, with Lomachenko electing to return to his home country following the Russian invasion when the pair were set to meet.
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“We were slated to possibly fight in 2019 when the legendary Hall of Famer Bob Arum said that a young guy from Australia called George Kambosos could come up against the then-king Lomachenko,” Kambosos explained.
“Things obviously did not happen. Then I become the champion and Lomachenko was chasing me. We were very close. But it wasn’t meant to be. But, third time is lucky, and Sunday is when we do our battle.”
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What next for Lomachenko?
The two fighters were involved in a lengthy face-off during Thursday’s press conference, where the pair stood unmoved for over three minutes before eventually being separated.
Top Rank CEO told Sky Sports earlier this month that Lomachenko could be on for a collision course with Shakur Stevenson if he overcomes Kambosos, although the veteran fighter is focused on reclaiming the IBF title before thinking about the future.
“I’ve been in this sport for a long time,” Lomachenko said. “We are two professionals. We know boxing. We know strategy. It will be very, very interesting for both. It will be very, very interesting for all fans of boxing.
“We have a fight. We prepared very hard. And like I said, it will be very interesting. I’m just looking forward to the IBF title. I need to take my title, and then after that, I can think about my future.”
Watch Lauren Price challenge Jessica McCaskill in her first ever world title fight from Cardiff on Saturday May 11, live on Sky Sports; Vasiliy Lomachenko then faces George Kambosos Jr in Perth, Australia on Sunday from 3am.
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