George Kambosos Jr.: from being bullied for being overweight to becoming a world champion

George Kambosos (21-2-0, 10 KO) always shows the image of a warrior in the ring, but, years ago, he was a child who was bullied for being overweight. The Australian started boxing at the age of 11 due to the bullying he suffered at school and ended up sparring with Manny Pacquiao and becoming the unified lightweight champion.

On Saturday night he will face the Ukrainian Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3-0, 11 KO) for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) division title in Sydney, Australia.

“Look, I was bullied as a young kid. I was overweight when I was a kid and I came last in everything I did and took part in. But I always tried doing everything with 100 per cent effort. Back then I was also playing rugby and struggling to keep up with the team, because my physical condition was very bad, so my father and I decided to give boxing a try. I was quickly caught up in boxing, I lost 14 kg in weight and worked to become a professional fighter,” Kambosos revealed in an interview with The Sun. When he turned 13, he promised his father Jim that he would become a world champion.

The Australian tried surfing and was a lifeguard while continuing to box and play rugby. But at some point, he had to choose a sport, and he opted for boxing, because of his warrior spirit. Kambosos is of Greek descent and has always felt connected to his roots. “I think I should have been born in the times of 300 (the movie). That’s the kind of savage I am. I bring that raw aggression to the boxing ring. Kill or be killed,” said the former champion, who has his entire back tattooed with Spartans.

Kambosos Jr.’s secret, hard work and sacrifice

“I worked hard I sacrificed a lot and my discipline is second to none. I focused on the vision and never stopped believing in myself, and it became a reality and happened. I learned from a young age that you need to sacrifice and be dedicated to the sport and train every single day hard to achieve your dreams,” the Australian explained.

Kambosos and his father, who is his coach and has accompanied him in his career, traveled to the United States to train at the gym of his fellow countryman Justin Fortune and promote Ferocious’ career internationally. There he met Manny Pacquiao, with whom he sparred on several occasions and became friends.

In November 2021 he kept his promise. Kambosos defeated Teofimo Lopez (20-1-0, 13 KO), against all odds, by split decision and took away his WBA, WBO, and IBF lightweight belts, besides his undefeated record. But his happiness didn’t last long, as he lost all the belts in his first title defense, seven months later, against Devin Haney (31-1-0, 15 KO), who also won in their rematch in October 2022. Despite the tough defeats, the Australian became the IBO champion by beating the British Maxi Hughes (26-7-2, 5 KO) by majority decision.

Now, Ferocious could regain one of the titles Haney took from him and that the American vacated when he went up to super lightweight, but it won’t be against an easy opponent. Lomachenko owned the three belts that Kambosos held. The Ukrainian was the unified champion until Teofimo crossed his path and took them from him by earning a unanimous decision. Kambosos was Lopez’s executioner and will try to be Loma’s executioner too to return to the top.