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Australian George Kambosos is confident a win over Vasiliy Lomachenko will secure him a spot in boxing's Hall of Fame — and he believes destiny is on his side.
Kambosos will be putting his career on the line when he battles the star Ukrainian at Perth Arena on May 12 for the vacant IBF lightweight crown.
A win would cement Kambosos as one of Australia's greatest boxers.
A bad loss could spell the end of his glittering career.
Kambosos shot to international fame in 2021 when he won the IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight belts by stunning Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden.
Since then, Kambosos has lost twice to Devin Haney, before scoring an unconvincing and controversial win over Maxi Hughes last July.
Lomachenko, a three-division world champion, is a great of the sport and in line for Hall of Fame status himself.
The 35-year-old was scheduled to battle Kambosos in 2022, but he instead returned to Ukraine so he could help fight off Russia's invasion.
Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) represents a huge threat to Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs), but the Australian is taking on the risk with vigour.
"This fight cements me in the Hall of Fame, I truly believe it," Kambosos said on Wednesday.
"They can't deny that. This will be a Hall of Fame opportunity."
Kambosos is set to make millions from the May 12 fight.
The lightweight belt would look pretty in his house.
But for Kambosos, the fight has deeper meaning.
"Legacy for me has always been the most important thing," he said.
"This isn't about money. I've made money. I've won belts.
"I sit at home in my paid-off house with all the belts — that doesn't motivate me. What motivates me is this.
"It's the legacy fighting the best guys in the world, beating the best guys in the world — that's what matters to me.
"My kids can come back and say, 'You know what? That's my dad, my dad has that legacy'."
Kambosos says the "stars have aligned" for him to achieve victory.
One example of that was a chance meeting last year with Russian national boxing team coach Anton Kadushin.
After that fruitful conversation, Kadushin became Kambosos's new trainer, giving the Australian vital intel on how to capitalise on Lomachenko's weaknesses.
"It doesn't matter that many think I'm an underdog. I swear I'm going to win this fight," Kambosos said.
But what would a loss do to his career?
"Careers are on the line. If I beat Lomachenko, he's done, he finishes," Kambosos said.
"If he beats me, I'm back to where I don't want to be — fighting guys that I don't need to be fighting.
"This business is cutthroat and I know what it is."
Kambosos's dad, Jim, was more forthright when discussing what a loss would mean.
"Someone is going to go fishing at the end of it, and someone is going to continue on and be a world champion again. It's as simple as that," the long-time manager said.
Two other world title bouts will also be on the card in Perth, with Australian Jason Moloney likely to defend his WBO bantamweight crown.
Jason's twin brother Andrew is also set to be on the card.
AAP
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