Kambosos-Hughes, Davis-Patera Confirmed For July 22
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) will face Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) on July 22 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA. The fight will take place at the FireLake Arena and air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Also part of the broadcast will be Keyshawn Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) against Francesco Patera (28-3, 10 KOs).
JUST ANNOUNCED 🚨@GeorgeKambosos makes his TR debut against @BoxerMaxiHughes in a Lightweight title eliminator on Saturday, July 22. pic.twitter.com/1fEGhBcZSG
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 30, 2023
Kambosos-Hughes was rumoured for quite some time. Now, however, the clash is official. For Kambosos, it is his first fight since losing his titles to undisputed champion Devin Haney last year in Australia. Victory over Hughes leads him to another title fight as this has been billed as an IBF eliminator.
“I am extremely excited and motivated to make a serious statement against Maxi Hughes in my return fight in the United States, the Mecca of boxing, live on ESPN and Main Event PPV in Australia,” Kambosos said. “Having fought the best lightweight boxers in the world, I now know I have become an even better fighter and have added further artillery and weapons to my overall fight game.
Maxi Hughes is a good boxer, a tough Englishman, and I’m sure he will try his best, but I know and he knows that his best will not be enough. Hughes is not elite, and when you have been in there with elite boxers like I have, you pick up on the mistakes in a boxer like Hughes. I will claim his IBO world title and the IBF world title eliminator position on July 22.”
At one point, Hughes had a record of 19-5-2. After losing to Liam Walsh in 2019, he is now on a seven fight win streak, winning fights where he was the underdog. A win for Hughes would lead him to a title shot, a prospect few would have imagined in 2019.
“I’m excited to realize my dream of fighting in the USA and to showcase my skills to a new audience,” Hughes said. “I’ll do what’s necessary to get the win.”
Davis continues to move up the ranks and will have his second fight of the year. The Olympic silver medalist has impressed many with his abilities and could receive a title shot himself soon.
“I belong with all the top lightweights, and Patera is the next one in the way. And just like my eight opponents before him, Patera will have no answer for what I’m bringing to the table,” Davis said. “This is going to be a brutal night for him, however long it lasts.”
A former European lightweight champion, Patera is undefeated in his last ten fights with his last loss coming in 2017. A win over Davis would open up more opportunities for him to get to a world title.
“I am coming to Shawnee to put on a spectacular performance, defeat Keyshawn Davis, and show everyone that I belong on the world stage,” Patera said.
Undercard
The undercard will be available to stream on ESPN+. Giovani Santillan (30-0, 16 KOs) faces Erick Bone (27-6, 14 KOs) while Jeremiah Milton (9-0, 6 KOs) and Troy Isley (9-0, 4 KOs) return against opponents to be announced. Mike Balogun (20-1, 16 KOs) takes on Hemi Ahio (20-1, 15 KOs) while Roney Hines (12-0-1, 8 KOs) faces Michael Pirotton (7-0, 3 KOs).
Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment and Ferocious Promotions, are promoting Kambosos-Hughes. For tickets, fans can purchase them on StubWire beginning June 5.
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
