Former unified lightweight world champion George Kambosos Jr. is promising a reinvented version of himself when he takes on Maxi Hughes on July 22 at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma on ESPN. 

Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) will be returning against Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) nine months after losing for the second time to current undisputed 135-pound champion Devin Haney. 

Kambosos suffered a more brutal beating in the sequel, getting badly bruised and bloodied along the way while absorbing a total of 202 punches. He returned back 76 shots of his own. The first fight featured a 147 to 140 advantage for Haney in shots landed. 

Kambosos last scored a win in November 2021 against Teofimo Lopez Jr. 

“I take my wins and losses with great pride. I build confidence. These are guys that are elite fighters and known fighters. Guys like Haney and Lopez are top pound-for-pound fighters. I take confidence from that and become a better fighter. I had three mega fights in 11 months. I was able to sit back and reflect on things I was not doing right and become a better fighter. I'm sharper, more explosive, bigger and stronger. I'm excited to showcase myself on July 22. It will not be a win, but an emphatic statement,” Kambosos told BoxingScene.com in an interview.

In May, Kambosos signed a multi-fight, co-promotional deal with Top Rank, who will work in tandem with DiBella Entertainment to push the 30-year-old Greek-Australian toward another world title shot. 

“The stable that Top Rank has opens up a lot of doors. The plan is to do mega-fights again. I see myself making a great statement against Maxi Hughes. That's my full focus and tunnel vision,” said Kambosos.

“You have big names like Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, and even at 140 pounds. There are a lot of exciting fights for me. This is about legacy.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.