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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
George Kambosos will meet Maxi Hughes in a lightweight fight in July in Shawnee, Oklahoma, sources told ESPN.
The former undisputed lightweight champion is now with Top Rank after agreeing to a new multiyear, co-promotional deal with Lou DiBella, and the fight vs. Hughes will headline an ESPN card, sources said.
Kambosos won’t be fighting in his homeland because of promoter Matt Rose’s pay-per-view exclusivity rights for fights that take place in Australia, sources said.
Kambosos (22-2, 10 KOs) returned to Australia a star after defeating Teofimo Lopez in New York to capture the undisputed lightweight championship in ESPN’s 2021 Upset of the Year.
The 29-year-old dropped back-to-back decisions to Devin Haney in Australia and will now look for his first win since the Lopez bout.
Kambosos is rated No. 5 by ESPN at lightweight, and a victory should bring him one step closer to another title shot.
Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) is coming off the best win of his career, a majority-decision victory over former featherweight titleholder Kid Galahad in September.
The 33-year-old from England has reeled off seven consecutive wins since a 2020 loss to Liam Walsh, including a points win over Jono Carroll.
Top Rank added another lightweight Thursday with the signing of Jamaine Ortiz, who gave Vasiliy Lomachenko a tougher-than-expected challenge in October.
Top Rank will promote the undisputed lightweight championship bout between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 in Las Vegas on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The company also promotes top lightweight Shakur Stevenson.