MELBOURNE, Australia (June 1, 2022) – Hard to believe that a little more than six months ago, on November 27, 2021, George “Ferocious” Kambosos, Jr., (20-0, 10 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, a former sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao and underdog to everyone but himself, transformed from road warrior to unified world lightweight champion, scoring a shocking first-round knockdown en route to a split decision victory over Teófimo López, at Madison Square Garden, to collect his IBF, WBO, WBA, WBC Franchise and The Ring lightweight world titles. On Saturday, June 4 (June 5 in Australia), Kambosos will take on his second consecutive undefeated world champion when he goes mano a mano with WBC world champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (27-0, 15 KOs), from Las Vegas, Nevada, for the undisputed lightweight championship at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. It will be the first time Kambosos has fought on his home soil since 2017.
Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Ferocious Promotions, Top Rank, Devin Haney Promotions, Duco Events and TEG Sport, Kambosos vs. Haney will be broadcast to the U.S., at 9 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. PDT, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.
“The reason Kambosos vs. Haney will be one of the biggest fights Australia has ever hosted is not just because George is a native son, but also because he chose to take the hard road — traveling the world to chase his dream of becoming world champion. The fact that George chose to make his first defense against another undefeated world champion shows the confidence he has in himself and that he embodies the Australian and Greek spirit of being a warrior and a winner,” said Lou DiBella, Kambosos’ promoter.
Before Kambosos returns to the ring this weekend, let’s look back, in his own words, at the journey he traveled to become one of the best stories in boxing:
· JRE MMA Show #116 with George Kambosos • The Joe Rogan Experience (spotify.com)
· Episode 207 – George Kambosos Jr. – Walking The Floor
· George Kambosos Jr. interview w/ Teddy Atlas – Teofimo Lopez Upset, Who’s Next & More – YouTube
· George Kambosos Jr. Is A Gentleman | Barstool Bets
ABOUT DIBELLA ENTERTAINMENT
In May of 2000, Lou DiBella launched DiBella Entertainment (DBE), a full-service sports and entertainment company, which has become one of the most successful promotional entities in boxing. Serving as matchmaker, television distributor, marketing advisor, and promoter, DiBella has developed an exciting stable of championship caliber, world-class fighters, such as Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Micky Ward, Deontay Wilder, and George Kambosos, among others. DBE clearly established itself as an industry leader with the successful launch of its monthly-televised “Broadway Boxing” series in November 2003. Prior to becoming a promoter, DiBella held an 11-year tenure as the Senior Vice President of HBO Sports. While at HBO, DiBella created and established the highly successful “Boxing After Dark” series, which featured some of the sport’s greatest fights. He is also a well-known fixture in the film industry, having worked as an Executive Producer for the film “Love Ranch”, as an Associate Producer on “The Fighter”, and making his acting debut in “Rocky Balboa”. He also produced or executive produced numerous documentaries, such as Viva Baseball!, Magic Man, Maravilla, Larry Flynt for President, and Tapia. The President and Managing General Partner for the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team, DiBella proudly wears his 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series rings, as his team is the class AA affiliate to the San Francisco Giants. In 2017, DiBella also became the CEO and Managing Owner of the Montgomery Biscuits baseball team, the AA-affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. DiBella was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 and will be inducted in June 2022, as well as the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
ABOUT TOP RANK
Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1973 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Erik Morales, Timothy Bradley, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Tyson Fury.
Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Wembley Arena, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.
ABOUT DUCO EVENTS
Duco Events is one of Asia Pacific’s leading events management and sports promotion companies, responsible for delivering high profile sporting events such as The Battle of Brisbane – Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn, the NRL Auckland Nines, the Brisbane Rugby Tens alongside numerous other innovative sports, corporate and entertainment events throughout New Zealand and Australia including Synthony – a breath-taking fusion of electronic dance music, live orchestra, DJ’s, vocalists and immersive visuals.
ABOUT VISIT VICTORIA
Visit Victoria is the State of Victoria’s primary tourism, business and major events company, leading the sector in creating, curating and communicating Victoria’s inspiring experiences to maximise visitation. Established in July 2016, Visit Victoria brings the best of Tourism Victoria, Victorian Major Events Company and Melbourne Convention Bureau under one brand that capitalises on commercial opportunities in an increasingly competitive and dynamic global tourism market. The team operates in a collaborative and agile environment that informs, connects and partners with industry and the Victorian State Government to amplify Victoria’s profile.
About TEG Sport
TEG Sport is owned by TEG, a leading global live entertainment, ticketing and technology business which operates worldwide out of seven country offices. TEG also includes TEG Live, TEG Experiences, TEG Dainty, TEG MJR, TEG Van Egmond, Laneway Festival, Handsome Tours, TEG Rockefeller, Qudos Bank Arena, Ticketek, Ticketek Marketplace, Eventopia, Softix, TicketCharge, TicketWorld, Ticketek Singapore and Ovation.
Life is Better Live. Whether it’s Sport, Concerts, Musicals, Theatre or Exhibitions, nothing beats the live experience! For more information www.teg.com.au.