George Kambosos vs. Brandon Ogilvie – A Real Fight

IT feels like forever since Australian boxing has produced a quality domestic matchup.

All too often the boxing scene in this country has given the fans an abundance of mismatches, fights that have generally done little more than pad a particular fighters record. Until now that is.

We’ve all seen the numerous questionable imports paraded around the ring in recent times, men who are often out of shape, fighting in unfamiliar weight classes or just simply not up to standard but this weekend Aussie fight fans are in for a real treat; a genuine 50/50 fight.

This mouth-watering clash for the WBA Oceania lightweight title between ‘Brilliant’ Brandon Ogilvie and George ‘Ferocious’ Kambosos Jr. is shaping up as a fight that could make or break either man’s career.

Both men are ranked in the top fifteen by the WBA and both have made it clear they have championship aspirations but this fight has always been a prerequisite for the pair before moving onto bigger and better things Stateside.

In a recent press release issued by Ogilvie’s management, Brendan Bourke commented on his fighter’s future prospects and how they have been put on hold to clear up the debate about who really is Australia’s preeminent lightweight.

“I could’ve signed Brandon to a big American promoter after the Foley win,” he explained. I have knocked back a good offer abroad because Brandon wanted this fight with George more than anything, it’s personal.”

An air of confidence has filtered through the Ogilvie camp, which has been reflected in the latest comments made by the Indigenous ace.

“I don’t know why Oliver from Whack Promotions has scheduled this fight for twelve rounds. I only need one round to knockout George,” stated Ogilvie. “Soon as the bell rings I’m going straight at him! I’m going to hunt him down, cut off the ring and hurt him bad. He won’t be able to take my power, he’ll quit.”

Kambosos recently spent some time of his own in the United States and it was a conversation with famed strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune that demonstrates just how important beating Ogilvie is to him.

“Justin didn’t want me to come back to Australia,” Kambosos said in an interview with Aus-Boxing. “He said don’t even worry about this Ogilvie, we’ll set you up big time here. I said no, I want to take this guy out. I want to silence everyone, silence all the critics and prove that there is a new superstar in the game. Out with the old and in with the new. I believe I’m the only new fighter that’s going to be left standing.”

It’s this genuine dislike for one another that has fight fans salivating at thought of these two men doing battle but trash talk aside this really does look to be a winner takes all affair, as the victor is likely to net himself some interesting and lucrative fights overseas.

The winner of the fight isn’t the only one who stands to benefit from this clash though. It’s also a victory for the many long suffering fight fans that have sat through numerous fight cards filled with mismatches and easy fights for the home side.

This one is no foregone conclusion; the ambiguity of it is what leads us to its ultimate appeal.

The team at Whack Promotions have put together a quality undercard to complement the main event. Highlighted by the experienced Nader Hamdan, who faces off with the younger and highly regarded Damien Hooper, while Darragh Foley will battle Sergio Eduardo Gonzalez for the WBA Oceania super featherweight title.

Words: Dan Attias (Follow Dan on Twitter @Dan_Attias)
Photos: Louie Abigail/Photography by Rockfingrz