DiBella talks Lomachenko being Kambosos WBO mandatory

Promoter Lou DiBella says his fighter undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. doesn’t have to fight Vasily Lomachenko next if the WBO orders him to defend against the #1 ranked contender right away.

DiBella states that if the WBO orders Kambosos to fight his mandatory Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs), they can petition the sanctioning body to allow them to fight someone else next for a “significant fight.”

The promoter also says there’s a period when the mandatory is due after it’s ordered by the World Boxing Organization, which may allow Kambosos to slip a fight in between that before facing Lomachenko.

What’s clear from listening to DiBella speak, he doesn’t sound eager about letting Kambosos face Lomachenko next.  Indeed, DiBella sounds like he’s totally against that idea, and it’s pretty obvious why.

What we saw from Lomachenko last Saturday night in dismantling former IBF lightweight champion Richard Commey to win an easy one-sided 12 round unanimous decision, it’s logical to assume that Loma would do the same thing to Kambosos.

Kambosos can do whatever he wants

DiBella believes that his fighter Kambosos is in the driver’s seat, sitting like an emperor of sorts, being able to pick & choose whoever fighter he wants for his next fight.

That attitude will immediately filter out Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis as one of the options for Kambosos’ next fight because his promoters, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Leonard Ellerbe, aren’t going to allow their #1 cash-cow travel to Australia and take their chances with the judges.

“He’s the emperor, he can do whatever he likes right now, and he wants to fight in Australia. He’s made that very clear to his whole team,” said promoter Lou DiBella to Fighthype when asked about George Kambosos Jr. wanting to fight in Australia next.

“Let’s wait for them to do it, and then when they say there’s a mandatory, there’s a time period for when you have to do a mandatory,” DiBella said in reacting to being told that #1 WBO ranked contender Lomachenko is expected to be made the mandatory by the WBO for lightweight champion Kambosos.

“You can also petition to have a fight in between if it’s another significant fight. There are a lot of things that can happen [that will allow Kambosos to fight someone else rather than Lomachenko next].

“I’m adept at dealing with the rules, and we’ll handle it. Look, Lomachenko has always certainly been on a shortlist of

“He’s ultimately going to decide who, when, and where, honestly,” DiBella said of Kambosos. “He keeps reiterating that he wants the biggest fights.

“He doesn’t want just an ordinary opponent, and he’s ultimately going to decide,” said DiBella about Kambosos.

The Australian is a great talker, but he’s not going to talk his way to a victory over Lomachenko, and DiBella knows that. He realizes the limitations Kambosos has. Hence, he’s talking about ways to swerve the fight with Kambosos so he can fight someone else next.

DiBella says Kambosos to keep improving

Whether Kambosos can keep improving or not is debatable, as he’s limited in the power department, and he’ll never be as skilled as someone like Lomachenko.

For Kambosos to have a shot at beating Lomachenko, he’s going to need to study him and try and come up with the ideal game plan to defeat his style in the same way he did to defeat Teofimo Lopez last November.

In Teofimo’s case, he was injured, fighting with an esophagus and lung problem against Kambosos, which has been diagnosed by a doctor.

Moreover, Teofimo was weight drained for the fight, and his trainer sounded lost in his career, failing to come up with the proper instructions to offset what Kambosos was doing during their battle on November 27th.

“One thing about George, and I’m doing to say I’m guilty also,” DiBella continued about Kambosos. “This kid believed in himself and knew he was capable of this the whole time.

“I think he feels that the world didn’t see what he saw, and maybe I’m a little bit guilty too. I knew he was a terrific fighter, but to go in there and dominate on the biggest stage at the biggest moment of his life under difficult circumstances, I give him all the credit in the world, man.

“He did something magical in a fight that was delayed, postponed, and he had to train under unusual circumstances,” DiBella said of Kambosos. “He trained in Australia most of the time without his #1 trainer with him with limited sparring because of where he was.

“He always believed, and his dad believed that he was destined for greatness. Maybe the rest of us were a little bit guilty of taking it with a grain of salt, but when you’re out there, and you can prove.

“When you are as confident as George and have that self-belief, and you tell everyone exactly what you’re going to do, and then you do it. That’s pretty awesome.

“The sky’s the limit for this kid,” DiBella said about Kambosos. “I think he’s going to keep getting better, and he’s going to keep rising to the occasion, so I’m excited to see what’s ahead for George Kambosos.

DiBella is probably right that Kambosos will keep improving as a fighter, but will it be enough for him to defeat Lomachenko, WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney, WBA champ Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, or Ryan Garcia? I don’t know.

With Kambosos saying he wants his next fight in Australia, he’ll likely get the benefit of the doubt for any close rounds against those fighters. Still, if he faces Ryan or Tank Davis, those guys have the power to take the judges out of the equation entirely.

As far as Kambosos winning by decision, Haney is the most beatable guy for him in a 12 round fight because he’s chinny, and loses rounds when he’s pressured, hit hard, and forced to deal with a fighter that lets his hands go.

Lomachenko’s skills will make him a nightmare for Kambosos. You can argue why his promoter DiBella is outwardly saying that they don’t have to necessarily fight him next if the World Boxing Organization orders the Kambosos-Lomachenko fight next.

For DiBella to be talking about that openly last Saturday night, it suggests that he wants to steer Kambosos around Lomachenko.

DiBella understands what Kambosos would be up against if he were to face a talent like Lomachenko, and he’s likely going to try and avoid the Ukrainian at all costs.

We’ll likely see Kambosos fighting Haney or Ryan Garcia next for good money in a stadium fight in Australia. It’s doubtful that Kambosos will draw 80,o00 fans for his next battle in his home country, though.

That’s Kambosos dreaming out loud when he talks those crazy numbers for his next fight in Australia. Still, he should bring in a respectable number of and, particularly if he faces someone with charisma and a considerable following like Ryan Garcia.

Haney doesn’t have much charisma, so he’s not a great option if Kambosos wants to attract a HUGE crowd for his next fight.

As for Tank Davis, his promoters at Mayweather Promotions will likely reject the idea of him going to Australia. I don’t think that’s going to happen for a second.

As such, if Kambosos is insistent on his next fight taking place in Australia, you can automatically exclude Tank Davis as being one of the guys that could be his next opponent.

The only real options for Kambosos’ next fight are Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney. It’s pretty apparent which one DiBella and Kambosos will pick between those two.