GEORGE Kambosos Jr insists that the nasty cut, which he sustained in his last outing, is of no concern as he gears up to face Richardson Hitchins.
The pair will square off at the Madison Square Garden Theater, New York, on June 14, with Hitchins, 19-0 (7 KOs), putting his IBF world super-lightweight title up for grabs on home soil.
A split decision victory over Liam Paro last December saw the crafty technician produce a comprehensive display which, in truth, should have been reflected by a much wider margin on the judges’ scorecards.
But still, Hitchins nonetheless dethroned his rival in Puerto Rico and, in doing so, teed up a fiercely anticipated grudge match with former lightweight king Kambosos, 22-3 (10 KOs).
While campaigning at 135lbs, Kambosos pulled off a monumental upset against Teofimo Lopez, outpointing the talented slickster to claim three of the four major belts in 2021.
But soon after, ‘Ferocious’ suffered back-to-back unanimous decision defeats to Devin Haney, before edging a highly-contentious majority decision against Maxi Hughes.
An 11th-round stoppage defeat to boxing legend Vasyl Lomachenko then followed several months later, inspiring the Australian to base himself at super-lightweight.
His first assignment at 140lbs, meanwhile, arrived against Jake Wyllie, who gave a titanic effort when the pair locked horns back in March.
The ninth round of their dustup then saw Kambosos suffer a cut on his forehead, putting his showdown with Hitchins – tentatively scheduled for June at the time – in some jeopardy.
But now, having sparred numerous rounds since his unanimous decision victory, the 31-year-old remains convinced that his injury will not be an issue.
“Looking back at the fight, for the first nine rounds I was very dynamic, very sharp and very quick – with that old Kambosos combination punching,” Kambosos told Boxing News.
“But obviously, the cut distracted me a little. I was thinking to myself, ‘I hope this doesn’t affect the Hitchins fight.’
“I didn’t know how bad it was but, thank God, it wasn’t too deep. I’ve sparred 100-plus rounds [since then]. We’re coming to the final couple of sparring sessions now, so the cut is good.
“You can let Hitchins hit me clean right there [on the cut], and I bet you it doesn’t do anything. Not that he can punch, anyway.”
