Wilson up for Ferocious fight
LIAM Wilson says he would relish an all-Australian blockbuster against George Kambosos as he looks to emulate ‘Ferocious’ by producing another world-title boilover on American soil.
Kambosos rocketed into the stable of Australian sporting superstars in November 2021 when he stunned Teofimo Lopez to snatch four world-title straps in a lifechanging moment of glory in New York.
Now, 15 months later, Wilson gets his shot at sporting immortality, the Queenslander thrust into his maiden world-title showdown with Mexican mauler Emanuel Navarrete at Arizona’s Desert Diamond Arena.
Victory would seal Wilson’s coronation as Australian boxing’s second current male champion alongside Jai Opetaia.
Defeat would not be a career-ending setback for a 26year-old who has ample time on his side to scale the worldtitle summit.
Either way, Wilson lives for a challenge and, in domestic boxing terms, there are few as potentially lucrative or explosive as a showdown with Kambosos, the feisty Spartan warrior looking to rise again in 2023 after back-to-back world-title losses to Devin Haney.
Wilson (11-1, 7KO) is ranked No.3 by the WBO at super featherweight. Kambosos (20-2, 10KO) fights one division above Wilson at lightweight.
American critics of Kambosos have urged him to drop down to Wilson’s 130-pound class, claiming he is “too small and weak” to truly dominate the likes of Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis at lightweight.
The alternative is that Wilson steps out of his comfort zone and rises to lightweight to take on Kambosos. It’s a scenario that does not scare him.
“I have always imagined myself to have an all-Australian showdown … a big fight in our country,” Wilson said in the build-up to his moment of truth against Navarrete (36-1, 30KO). “Everyone knows I’m happy to take the hard fights so what’s another one? It doesn’t bother me.
“If I have to go up in weight and test myself against George Kambosos, that’s something I’m willing to do.”