George Kambosos Jnr was running on a beach preparing for his upcoming bout against Daud Yordan on March 22 in Sydney, Australia, when he learned the news that his opponent had been ruled out on medical grounds.
“The sun was out, everything felt good and then all of a sudden my father rocked up to the run,” Kambosos Jnr told BoxingScene. “‘Okay, what’s he doing at the run?’ He doesn’t usually run. I asked him a couple of questions and I could see something was not right. I go, ‘What’s going on with you dad?’
“He says, ’He’s out.’ I go, ‘What do you mean he’s out?’ This guy’s been pumped. The Indonesians have been pumped for this fight. He’s been preparing very, very hard. Yeah, you guys know, unfortunately he collapsed cutting the weight. I think the weight got too much for him. I believe he cooked himself very, very hard in training camp. He prepared very, very well for a guy like myself. He’s given everything he had, but yeah, it took a toll on the body and yeah, he’s out.”
Kambosos Jnr had no thoughts of ditching the planned date with a potential shot at the IBF junior-welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins on the horizon. A host of Australian talent is relying on the show for a payday, and without Kambosos Jnr there is no show. Up stepped the Australian 140lb champion Jake Wyllie, to replace Yordan, at late notice. The 16-1 (15 KOs) fighter actually had tickets to attend the fight and will instead step fight Kambosos Jnr in the main event.
“We can sit back for a few months and go fight Hitchins or we save the day because there wouldn’t be a card without me fighting,” Kambosos Jnr said. “‘Who’s the Australian light-welterweight champion currently?’ Okay, Jake Wyllie. ‘Okay, what’s his record?’. Sixteen wins and 15 knockouts. I like that.
“‘Let me have a look at him.’ How to look at him, orthodox. Exactly the same style as Duad Yordan. ‘Okay, you know what? This kid has never shown any disrespect. Never bad-mouthed me for a payday. Was actually meant to be coming. Actually bought tickets to the fight to come watch the fight. So, I’ve heard he’s a supporter and a fan. So, you know what? Give this kid the opportunity.’
“I want to give him a Rocky story. I want to give him the opportunity. He was meant to fight in three weeks, so he’s fit; he’s ready; he’s been sparring; he’s in good condition. Weight’s not going to be a problem for him. I want to change his life; give him an opportunity of a lifetime. Give him the Rocky story. But, of course, there won’t be a happy ending – a Rocky movie – in this one.”
The pressure is off the 24-year-old Wyllie. He will be coming into the contest as a huge underdog and stepping into a fight that he thought he would be watching from the stands. Many would think that that makes Wyllie dangerous. Kambosos Jnr disagrees.
“I’ve prepared very, very well,” said the former unified lightweight champion, 31. “It doesn’t matter who was in that ring with me. “I know what victory would be for me. And, yeah, people are going to say there is no pressure for him, but really, there is a ton of pressure on him.
“All of a sudden, he’s gone from sitting in the stands, watching the fight, to being the main event, fighting the biggest name in Australian boxing, one of the biggest names in the world. There is a ton of pressure on him. And pressure creates mistakes.
“Pressure creates nervous actions. And like I said, this is the ‘ferocious’ show. This is my show. The show doesn’t go on without me. So, yeah, of course, there’s my own kind of pressure. But I’m so experienced.
“I’m so seasoned that I know what I bring to the table and how I react to it. He hasn’t been in a big event yet. He hasn’t been in a big, big fight yet. He doesn’t know how his body reacts to it. So I expect a lot of mistakes. I see holes in him already.
“There’s a lot of holes in there. I expect a lot of mistakes; a lot of miscalculations. And I expect myself to touch him very well on that chin and take him out. But like I said, there’s no disrespect to him at all. Like I said, he bought a ticket to come watch, you know, Ferocious fight. So, you know, big respect. But that’s where it ends.”