George Kambosos Jr. edges by Maxi Hughes with controversial majority decision

Former Ring/unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. returned to the win column by pulling off a 12-round majority decision over a very determined Maxi Hughes in an IBF title eliminator on Saturday at the Fire Lake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The controversial bout headlined a Top Rank show broadcast live on ESPN.

Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 10 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, began by feeling out in the opening round with a measuring jab but rushed in as he appeared to clash his head with the shoulder of the southpaw Hughes (29-4-1, 26 KOs), of Yorkshire, England. Pressing behind the jab in the second, Kambosos began to pick up the pace as Hughes stood in the pocket. In the third, Kambosos and Hughes mixed it up. Hughes had a good fourth round as he began to fight tactically, bouncing around and smothering as Kambosos seemed off rhythm.

Things began to pick up and get interesting in the fifth as a solid straight left from Hughes connected and cut Kambosos of the Aussie’s right eye. Hughes pressed and appeared to have the momentum going his way. However, in the sixth, Kambosos returned the favor as a clash of heads cut Hughes, who suffered a nasty gash on his left eye. The former world champion began to adjust and get his rhythm past the halfway point and in the seventh Kambosos pressed and outworked Hughes. The cut on Hughes’s eye was stabilized heading into the eighth as he stood in the pocket and mixed it up, roughing up Kambosos.

Late in the fight in the ninth, Hughes boxed behind the jab and timed Kambosos, countering as the Australian charged in. Hughes appeared more composed in the 10th, boxing well as Kambosos fought with more aggression, but the Englishman countered. The championship rounds saw a well-composed Hughes boxing and fighting smart; as Kambosos pressed, Hughes tied him up.

The judges scored the bout 117-111, 115-113, and 114-114. Many fans on Twitter were outraged by the 117-111 tally.

Prior to the Huges fight, Kambosos suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Devin Haney, relinquishing the lightweight titles last year in June and dropping the rematch in October. With the win, Kambosos, who is The Ring’s No. 7-rated lightweight, looks to get back to world champion status but he will have a lot of doubters. Hughes, The Ring’s No. 9-rated lightweight, may have earned new fans.

Keyshawn Davis Dominates

2021 U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis was dominant in winning a one-sided unanimous decision over Belgium’s former European champion Francesco Patera in the lightweight co-feature bout of the evening.

Davis (9-0, 6 KOs), from Norfolk, Virginia, was in control from the opening bell, boxing at a fast pace displaying his hand speed early on. Patera (28-4, 10 KOs) fighting bravely never got anything off as Davis countered out landed and outworked the Belgium fighter. Dominating at the halfway point in the fifth, Davis was having his way and at the end of the round Patera shoved Davis as he appeared to be frustrated by Davis’s slick elusive style.

The 24-year-old was smooth as Davis boxed and worked over Patera in the seventh. In the eighth, a shot to the body by Davis sat Patera down as he got up and finished the round. Fighting patiently, Davis jabbed and followed up with combinations continuing to tag Patera late in the fight. It was clearly Davis’s fight reaching the 10th and final round, which closed with Patera fighting tough in going the distance.

Judges scored the bout 100-89, 100-89, and 99-90 as Davis successfully defended his WBC USA and WBO Intercontinental titles.

 

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