Greek Australian boxer, George Kambosos Jr, is officially getting his world title fight.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has officially ordered lightweight champion, Teofimo Lopez Jnr, to defend his belt against the unbeaten Kambosos.
Lopez won the IBF crown in late 2019 after he pulled off a 12-round unanimous win against Ukrainian superstar, Vasyl Lomachenko, in October.
But Kambosos earned his shot at the title with a controversial split decision over Lee Selby in the UK in November, after two overseas judges easily named Kambosos the winner, but the British judge strangely gave the fight to Selby.
”We have been negotiating with Lopez’s manager and Top Rank since I beat Lee Selby… we are pushing for me and Lopez fighting for all the belts and for it to be here in Australia, that’s the most important thing,” Kambosos told The Sydney Morning Herald after the IBF announcement.
“I really want it. A lot of people don’t want to fight Lopez. But this mandatory is good. I really want this fight, I truly believe I will win this fight.”
Kambosos added that he thinks the world title fight will give him a chance to “become the first and the greatest fighter in Australian history.”
READ MORE: George Kambosos Jr eyeing ‘biggest fight in Australian history’ after huge sacrifice.
”That’s not taking anything away from our great fighters…” Kambosos told the Australian media outlet.
”But this would be huge, massive. I have got that vision. I could see myself in front of a packed-out arena, with thousands of people watching me become the undisputed lightweight champion of the world with four belts around my waist.”
But where would the title challenge even be held? Sources say either Sydney or Melbourne is on the cards in April or May.
“There’s over 700,000 Greeks in Melbourne and I am a very proud Greek and very proud Australian, so that’s a huge factor, and I am based in Sydney, I live there. It’s going to be one of them, that’s where we are pushing for this fight to happen,” Kambosos says.
A fight that many Greek Australians are looking forward to just as much as Kambosos himself.
READ MORE: George Kambosos Jr’s big win earns him world title shot.
