George Kambosos Jr., the local hero, surely knew that hosting a party where Vasiliy Lomachenko was the guest of honor would never end well for him. His hometown crowd in Perth must have felt like they were witnessing a Greek tragedy unfold, with Kambosos playing the unfortunate hero destined for a downfall.
Let’s be honest, the fight seemed less like a title bout and more like a master class by Lomachenko, with Kambosos serving as the unwilling volunteer from the audience. From the moment Loma started to unleash those precise, stinging punches, it was clear that Kambosos was in for a long, painful afternoon. By the fifth round, his face was turning into a canvas of red, courtesy of Lomachenko’s fists.
Then came the 11th round knockdowns, where Lomachenko decided enough was enough, dropping Kambosos not once but twice, just in case the first one wasn’t clear enough. Getting up from the first knockdown might have earned him a few points for bravery, but the second one? That was just a reminder of the gap between being a top-contender and a legend.
Post-fight, Kambosos’ respect for Lomachenko was touching, really. He admitted no shame in losing to such a legend—probably the safest thing to say when you’ve just been outclassed in front of your home crowd. Better to bow out with grace than limp away with excuses, right?
Kambosos might have wanted to end the fight on his feet, but Lomachenko had other plans. It’s back to the drawing board for “Ferocious” George, while Lomachenko likely has bigger fish to fry. Here’s hoping Kambosos can find his stride again, or it’s going to be a long climb back to the top—or anywhere near Loma’s league!
Other Results: Marching into enemy territory, Pedro Guevara snatched the WBC interim junior bantamweight world title from Andrew Moloney with a decision that had the crowd buzzing—probably not in the way he’d hoped. Disputed decisions have that unique charm, turning a sweet victory into a bit of a “did he really win?” scenario. Cheers to the new champ, though, for stirring up the division and some debate along with it!
Then there’s Cherneka Johnson, who decided to keep things just as spicy. In a closely contested battle against Nina Hughes, Johnson managed to secure the WBA bantamweight world title, but not without raising a few eyebrows. With scorecards reading 95-95, 96-94, and a slightly eyebrow-raising 98-92, it seems some of the judges saw a different fight. But hey, a win is a win, and Johnson walks away with the gold—and probably a list of contenders already knocking at her door.
Not to be overshadowed, Imam Khataev made some noise of his own in the light heavyweight division. This man’s power is something else, maintaining his perfect knockout streak with a stunning stoppage of Ricards Bolotniks in the sixth round. Khataev’s making sure his record is as clean and fearsome as it gets—seven fights, seven knockouts. Talk about making a statement. Bolotniks probably didn’t know what hit him, especially with the stoppage coming just 1 minute and 34 seconds into the round.
