Kambosos-Hughes and Davis-Patera will be aired live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ starting 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
The former unified and lineal lightweight world champion, George Kambosos Jr., is set to make his inaugural appearance with Top Rank in a 12-round IBF world title eliminator. The boxing event will feature Kambosos Jr. taking on English southpaw Maxi Hughes. Scheduled for Saturday, July 22, the much-anticipated fight will take place at FireLake Arena, Shawnee, Oklahoma.
A 10-round fight features U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis, who will be pitted against former European champion and Belgian contender Francesco Patera. This matchup signifies Davis’ significant move up in the boxing ranks.
WHAT TIME IS THE KAMBOSOS JR VS. HUGHES FIGHT?
- Date: Saturday, July 22
- Time: 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. BST
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 11:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. BST
- The fight will take place at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
- The main card is set to get underway at 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. BST with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 11:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. BST. These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
- The fight will be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Top Rank, in partnership with DiBella Entertainment and Ferocious Promotions, is set to host the event. Starting from a reasonable $39, tickets will go on sale from 10 a.m. CST on Monday, June 5 and can be snapped up at tubwire.com.
Seasoned boxer Kambosos Jr. has a decorated decade-long career with a record of 20 victories, 2 losses, and 10 KOs. His globe-trotting journey has seen him fighting in various arenas from Malaysia and Greece to London, New York City, Connecticut, and Las Vegas, all in pursuit of lightweight division supremacy. Remarkable wins over former world champions Mickey Bey and Lee Selby positioned him for his world title shot against Teofimo Lopez in 2021, a contest he won in a stunning split decision. This triumph, which bagged him three lightweight world titles, was hailed as ESPN’s Upset of the Year. Unyielding, the ambitious 29-year-old Australian rejected an easy home defense in 2022, instead facing off against Devin Haney in two back-to-back undisputed world title fights. Despite suffering his maiden career losses, Kambosos Jr. is determined to reclaim his throne, with Hughes being his initial obstacle.
The 33-year-old UK native Hughes has a record of 26 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws since he turned pro in 2010. His first British title win came against Ryan Moorhead in 2017. After falling to Sam Bowen in 2018 in his second British title bid, Hughes rebounded the following year, dealing Kieron McLaren his first professional loss. Even a 2019 defeat in a WBO European title match against Liam Walsh couldn’t slow him down; Hughes rebounded to win his next seven fights, culminating in a decisive victory against the previously unbeaten Viktor Kotochigov. Riding on a majority decision win against former world champion Kid Galahad last September, Hughes is in peak form.
Davis, a Norfolk, Virginia local with 8 victories, is making waves in the boxing world. He celebrated three professional wins before clinching a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Post-inking a long-term contract with Top Rank in November 2021, Davis has secured five victories, featuring knockout wins against Esteban Sanchez and Omar Tienda. The 24-year-old’s latest conquest was against Anthony Yigit, achieved via a ninth-round TKO. Davis is now gearing up to tackle his toughest rival yet, Patera.
Belgian boxer Patera, with a career record of 28-3, including 10 knockouts, has been a consistent player in the boxing scene for eight years. His initial run for the European title in May 2016 didn’t go as planned, losing to Yvan Mendy. Undeterred, he bounced back with a TKO win against Csaba Bolcskei a few months later, although he suffered a close loss to Sean Dodd shortly after. He managed to rack up victories against Pasquale Di Silvio and Edis Tatli, but stumbled in a rematch against Tatli in December 2017. The resilient 30-year-old has since scored a ten-fight winning streak, his most recent victory being an impressive first-round knockout against Irakli Shariashvili in April.
KAMBOSOS JR – HUGHES FIGHT CARD
- George Kambosos Jr vs. Maxi Hughes; Lightweight
- Keyshawn Davis vs. Francesco Patera; Lightweight
- Giovani Santillan vs. Erick Bone; Welterweight
- Mike Balogun vs. Hemo Ahio; Heavyweight
- Roney Hines vs. Michael Pirotton; Heavyweight
- Troy Isley vs. TBA; Middleweight
- Jeremiah Milton vs. TBA; Heavyweight