Unified World Lightweight Champion George Kambosos Jr. is closing in on a showdown versus three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.
According to multiple reports, Kambosos will defend his IBF, WBA, WBC “franchise” and WBO titles on June 5 at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium in Kambosos’ native Australia.
While the date and venue have been confirmed, there is no word yet on who the definitive opponent will be. Lomachenko appears to be the clear frontrunner, with WBC champion Devin Haney also in contention.
Lou DiBella, Kambosos’ promoter, declined comment Tuesday when reached by BoxingScene.com in reference to the date and site of Kambosos’ next fight. DiBella is still negotiating to secure Kambosos’ opponent, though talks with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. about a Kambosos-Vasiliy Lomachenko fight have advanced much more productively than discussions regarding a Kambosos-Devin Haney bout with Eddie Hearn, whose company promotes Haney.
The 28-year-old Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) captured his titles with a huge upset split decision win over incumbent Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in New York last November. The new champ was determined to make a title defense in Australia for his next bout.
That appears to be a reality and it will likely come against the 33-year-old Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) who, after losing his titles by close decision to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020, has since bounced back with a ninth-round TKO over Masayoshi Nakatani last June and a December points win over Ghana’s Richard Commey.
