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George Kambosos Jr. vs. Maxi Hughes
Final Press Conference
Former unified and lineal lightweight king George Kambosos
Jr. is eager to reclaim his throne, but English southpaw
Maxi Hughes stands in his way.
Kambosos (20-2, 10 KOs) will fight Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in
a 12-round IBF world title eliminator this Saturday at
FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Kambosos will be making
his Top Rank debut as he sets his sights toward once again
becoming champion.
In the 10-round co-feature, U.S. Olympic silver medalist
Keyshawn Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) takes a seismic step up in class
against Belgian contender and former European champion
Francesco Patera (28-3, 10 KOs).
Kambosos-Hughes and Davis-Patera will be broadcast live on
ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard (6:15 p.m ET/3:15 p.m. PT) will
feature the ring returns of welterweight contender Giovani
Santillan, Oklahoma-born heavyweight Jeremiah Milton and
middleweight prospect Troy Isley.
Santillan (30-0, 16 KOs) will face Ecuadorian contender
Erick Bone (27-6, 14 KOs) in a 10-round battle, and Milton
(9-0, 6 KOs) will make his second appearance of 2023 in an
eight-round tilt against Willie Harvey (4-2-2, 3 KOs).
Isley (9-0, 4 KOs), a 2020 U.S. Olympian, will fight in an
eight-rounder against Antonio Todd (14-8, 8 KOs).
Two competitive eight-round heavyweight matchups will also
be featured on the ESPN+-streamed portion.
Orlando, Florida's Amron Sands (12-2, 9 KOs) returns against
New Zealand's Hemi Ahio (20-1, 15 KOs), and once-beaten
contender Stephan Shaw looks to bounce back against
Australia's Joe Goodall (9-1-1, 8 KOs).
At Thursday's press conference, this is what the fighters
had to say.
George Kambosos
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be here in Oklahoma. I’m very
excited. I’m very refreshed because I had three massive
fights within 11 months. Big fights take a toll. But I was
able to step back, refresh my body, and continue my
training. I’m here right now. I’m very excited. I feel
fantastic. And we can’t wait to handle business.”
“I’ve never been the kind of fighter who says, ‘Oh, I’ve got
a loss. It’s taken my confidence away.’ I lost to Devin
Haney. I think the boxing world has forgotten that he’s the
only guy I’ve lost to. I’ve got to remind them again. We
have learned a lot. And we have worked on a lot. But the
biggest thing is that I’ve become a greedy motherf***er now.
I’m going to take advantage of every hole there is.”
“I’m only focused on Maxi Hughes. We give him the utmost
respect. He’s here. We know what he’s going to bring.
Whatever there is to come, that will be spoken about after
Saturday. But for now, there is only man in front of me.”
“I’m going to take his head off. That’s what’s going through
my mind. I’m ready. I’m looking to absolutely destroy this
man in my path.”
Maxi Hughes
“It’s been one of my dreams to fight in the U.S. When you
turn professional, you see all the big fights in America and
you want to be a part of that. I’ve had my tough times in
boxing, and I’ve shown a lot of mental strength. I’ve come
through that. I’ve earned my right to be on this stage as
the main event.”
“The preparation has gone very well. My training team has
been together for five years. After my last fight in
September, I gave myself a week off and went back to the
gym. I’m a full-time professional. That’s my job. I don’t
just train for fights. I train and learn all the time. And
then in February, we got the deal done with George. Since
then, George’s face and name has been imprinted in my brain.
Preparation went well and I’m very confident.”
Keyshawn Davis
“You’re going to see something new. You can watch me fight.
You can study me. But you got to really know boxing to know
the type of fighter that you’re getting in the ring with
when you fight me. I’m 8-0. Ya’ll haven’t even seen the best
of me yet. Ya’ll will see something new.”
“Every time somebody fights me, it could be a life-changing
moment for them. But when they get in the ring, it’s a
different story. Just expect the same of what you’ve been
seeing out of me.”
Francesco Patera
“I am very happy to be here and fight in the U.S. This means
a lot. I am ready. This can change my life, so I’m going to
give it my all on Saturday.”
“If you make a name for yourself in the U.S., you make a
name for yourself worldwide. So, a victory will give me a
good name.”
“A win will put me in a world title spot. So, this means a
lot. I’ve done it before, and I’m sure I can do it again on
Saturday.”
Jeremiah Milton
“This is my home state. I’m carrying that weight for the
whole state when it comes to boxing. I represent wherever I
go. Whether it’s across the sea or whatever, they always
know I’m from Tulsa.”
“I started late in boxing. I’ve come a long way really fast.
I only had about 22 or 23 amateur fights. Now I’m coming
through among the best in the game right now. No matter
what, if you have people doubting you in the past, and
you’ve ended up on this stage, they can now watch me perform
on this stage.”
Giovani Santillan
“I feel good. I’ve just been training for those 11 months
that I’ve been away. I’ve been staying ready, and I’ve been
waiting for that call. I’m ready, and I feel good. I’m ready
for Saturday.”
“After this Saturday, I can get a big shot. It depends on
how I perform. I’m not taking this fight lightly. Erick Bone
has fought a lot of good fighters. And I plan on showing
that I’m ready for big fights against the big names.”
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