Toowoomba champion Kris George prepares for boxing comeback in highlight bout

Kris George makes his return to the ring against Ben Mahoney, and he’s confident he can land an upset

Kris George. Photo: Nev Madsen

BOXING: When Kris George returns to the ring on April 10, it will mark his first fight in almost three years.

If that wasn’t daunting enough, he will take on Ben Mahoney, a highly touted Queenslander boasting a perfect 10-0 record.

Despite the long lay off and tough test, the Toowoomba boxer wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I wouldn’t be coming back just to go back to square one,” George said.

“This fight puts me back to where I was. I’m ranked third in Australia and highly rated in the world.

“It puts me straight back into contention with the big guys and big pays. It fast tracks me back to the top.”

George announced his retirement from boxing in July 2018 after suffering just the second loss of his career in the United Kingdom.

It saw him hang up the gloves with a 14-2 record, claiming numerous regional titles at welter and super lightweight.

With travel restrictions still largely in place for international travellers into Australia, a door that seemed closed suddenly appeared open for a comeback.

“There’s a bit of a lack of depth of boxers in Australia and they called me up because they can’t bring in people from overseas,” George said.

“They wanted to keep him (Mahoney) rolling and that’s where I got the call from.

“From my end, it’s (a comeback) always been in the back of my mind. If I was ever going to have one it would have to be soon as I’m getting a bit older.

“I’ve been training and staying in good condition. The offer was right, and I think he’s a little overrated. There’s a lot of hype behind him, but from what he’s presented, I don’t think he presents that big a challenge.”

George said it was too big an opportunity to turn down, particularly with the status of boxing in Australia at the moment.

“There’s a lot of money out there in Australian boxing,” he said.

“There’s the potential for the biggest fights and bigger paydays.

“This fight is on Main Event. There’s a lot of hype on the guy, but I’m just one punch away from talking about fights with Tim Tszyu and Jeff Horn.

“I’m coming up in weight (super welterweight) and this will be my third weight division.

“He might have the size advantage. He’s big and strong, that’s his thing.

“But he is very stiff and limited in his boxing in my opinion, and hopefully I can take advantage of that.”

Originally published as Toowoomba champion Kris George prepares for boxing comeback in highlight bout