‘F***ing mad’: Huge fued threatens to derail fight between George Kambosos and Vasiliy Lomachenko
Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team has threatened to fly home ahead of Sunday’s world title fight as explosive disagreements between both camps blew up during the week.
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Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team sensationally threatened to fly home as bad blood broke out with George Kambosos’ camp amid legal threats in an explosive build-up to Sunday’s world-title fight in Perth.
Kambosos’ father and manager Jim engaged in a fiery war of words with Lomachenko’s agent Egis Klimas over a weigh-in argument that sparked threats of the world-title fight at Perth’s RAC Arena being cancelled.
Boxing: Lomachenko v Kambosos IBF Lightweight World Title Fight | Sunday, 12 MAY 12PM AEST | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Kambosos Sr confirmed to this masthead that he had engaged lawyers after the rival camps clashed over whether the fighters would be weighed once or twice in 24 hours before the IBF lightweight world-title showdown.
Under IBF rules, fighters are required to weigh-in the day before a bout, before a second weight check between 8-10am on the day of the proposed contest.
But Kambosos Sr called for the second weigh-in, slated for Sunday morning, to be scrapped because the Kambosos Jr-Lomachenko fight is taking place around 12pm to satisfy American TV broadcasting.
The parties have now agreed on a second weigh-in to take place at 9pm on Saturday night, but not before weeks of legal argy-bargy and a heated verbal altercation at Thursday’s press conference.
“The fight could have been off. Lomachenko’s camp threatened to be on the first plane home over this,” a furious Jim Kambosos said.
“They (Lomachenko’s) are all pig-headed because they are worried about George’s size.
“I have been having this pow-wow with Lomachenko’s camp, lawyers have been involved, I’ve had one of the biggest law firms in Australia involved.
“We’ve been arguing over the second-day weigh-in for 14 days.
“Egis (Lomachenko’s manager) has not wanted to sit down with me in the Western Australian Boxing Commission’s offices to sit down and nut this out.
“All I have asked is for us to sit down man-to-man, as managers, in a neutral office.
“When they refused to meet me, I engaged lawyers and it’s taken until today to sort this mess out when I got the chance to confront them at the press conference.
“Egis said put us on a plane, we’re flying home.
“I told them they were f***ing mad.”
Kambosos Sr explained why he wanted the IBF’s customary second weigh-in scrapped.
“Everyone initially agreed that we were going to waive the second weigh-in because this is a day-time fight - not a night-time fight,” he said.
“The reason for the second weigh-in is to stop a fighter putting on more than 10 pounds and coming into the ring massively bigger than his opponent.
“But this is a day-time fight. We don’t have an extra 24 hours to put on massive weight because it’s not a night-time fight ... not that George is a big lightweight anyway.
“How can you have a second weigh-in at 8am when you are due in the ring a few hours later?
“It’s farcical.
“Then Lomachenko’s team suggested weighing in between 10pm to midnight the night before.
“I said, ‘Are you f***ing kidding, you expect a fighter to stay awake until midnight before a fight?’.
“Anyway, I have come to a handshake agreement with Egis and our lawyers were witness to it.
“We have agreed on a 9pm second weigh-in on Saturday night in the premises of the Western Australian Boxing Commission.
“It’s still late.
“George is usually in bed by 8.30pm, it’s purely a stunt to destabilise George and put him off, but we won’t fall for these games.”
The 175cm Kambosos Jr has a reach and size advantage over Lomachenko, who is five centimetres shorter, and says his youth - at 30 he is six years younger than the Ukraine great - will prove decisive.
“He is coming to the end,” Kambosos said.
“Lomachenko doesn’t want to get hurt in this fight and I am coming to bring the pain.”
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Originally published as ‘F***ing mad’: Huge fued threatens to derail fight between George Kambosos and Vasiliy Lomachenko
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