Australia’s former world champion George Kambosos Jr will make his return to the ring in July in the US against Briton Maxi Hughes.

Kambosos crushingly lost his lightweight belts to Devin Haney, who he fought twice in Australia last year, before the American downed Vasiliy Lomachenko earlier this month.

The Sydneysider and Hughes will square off in Shawnee, Oklahoma, for the British fighter’s IBO belt, with the July 22 match-up serving as an IBF title eliminator.

With a 20-2-0 record, Kambosos is currently No.7 in the IBF rankings, one above 33-year-old Hughes (26-5-2).

“I am extremely excited and motivated to make a serious statement against Maxi Hughes in my return fight in the United States, the Mecca of boxing,” Kambosos told DAZN.com

“Having fought the best lightweight boxers in the world, I now know I have become an even better fighter and have added further artillery and weapons to my overall fight game.

“Maxi Hughes is a good boxer, a tough Englishman, and I’m sure he will try his best, but I know and he knows that his best will not be enough.

“Hughes is not elite, and when you have been in there with elite boxers like I have, you pick up on the mistakes in a boxer like Hughes.

“I will claim his IBO world title and the IBF world-title eliminator position on July 22.”

American promoter Lou DiBella said the fight was a risk for 29-year-old Kambosos.

“George insisted on a meaningful fight to begin his comeback. He’s never taken the easy route,” DiBella said.

“Maxi Hughes is a legit top-10 lightweight and a high-risk fight for George coming off two losses against Devin Haney.

“For Maxi, this is the opportunity he’s been fighting for. This is his chance to prove that all of those fights he won as the underdog meant something.”

Rising American lightweight star Keyshawn Davis, an Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo, is also on the card, lining up against Belgium’s former European champion Francesco Patera.

Source: AAP