‘Ferocious’ Kambosos: the Australian sporting hero you’ve never heard of | Andrew Webster GoodWeekendMag
On the evening of November 27 last year, George Kambosos jnr stood at the window of his room on the 20th floor of the New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan. He fixed his attention on the large, circular, neon-lit arena across the road that New Yorkers call, without a hint of irony, “the most famous coliseum in the world”.
Tears welled in Rebecca’s eyes. She knew of her husband’s resolve, but this was different. In the dressing room before the fight, Kambosos FaceTimed their three young children in Sydney as his hands were wrapped to secure his bones and joints beneath his gloves. Weeks earlier, he’d hugged them before boarding his flight to the US, knowing “that could be the last time I see them”.
Kambosos left the hospital five hours after arriving, with a few stitches above his left eye. He had a burger and went to bed. López didn’t leave hospital for another five days.I’m glad you asked. He’s the Australian sporting hero you may not know and, if you do, you don’t know the half of it.
After winning the world title, Kambosos has suddenly become “box-office” after struggling for years to gain traction. Kambosos is philosophical about being shunned. It’s perspective that comes with winning a world title, and now defending it in front of a home crowd while taking a share of the pay-for-view revenue. “But a lot of them stuffed up big time,” he says. “Somebody should have picked me up here. We should have had this world champion fighting out of Australia sooner. I’d be a megastar.
Kambosos is known for his attention to detail, his precision. He says he’s not OCD, although he displays traits of it, jumping around, looking at his phone, looking into the mirror, then looking at you. Before a recent media conference at the gym, he frantically swept the floor before anyone arrived.
“In the revolution of 1821, the Greeks were prepared to die for our freedom. In my career, I’ve always been chasing my freedom. In the ring and in life.” “George Kambosos jnr will always have a chip on his shoulder, even though he’s world champion,” Jim says. It doesn’t take long to pick up on his habit of saying his son’s full name almost every time he refers to him. “I just do it because I’m proud to say George Kambosos jnr,” he continues. “I know the struggle, the journey. I put it in every email. I just feel great saying his name.”have a name and it belongs to his grandfather.
After 10 pro fights, Kambosos and his father made the decision that changed all their lives. Moving to Los Angeles in 2017 would allow him to spar against quality opponents and get in front of promoters and coaches who could put him on the path to a world title. He was receiving some financial support from Sydney businessman Nick Politis, the billionaire chairman of the Sydney Roosters, and entrepreneur Mark Bouris, but they were tough days.
Kambosos with wife Rebecca and their three children. She quit university to help him follow his boxing dreams.One morning, Kambosos was sparring at the famous Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles when Manny Pacquiao’s similarly famous coach, Freddie Roach, spotted him. He threw him into the ring against Pacquiao and Kambosos rarely left his side for the rest of the Filipino legend’s career.
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