Australian professional boxer, and current World No.1 lightweight Mandatory IBF Champion, GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR takes us inside the physical and mental world of a successful fighter…
George Kambosos Jr
Born: June 14, 1993
Hometown: Sydney, NSW
Nickname: Ferocious
Height: 176cm
Weight: 61kg
Weight Class: Lightweight
Instagram: @georgekambososjr
Twitter: @georgekambosos
Thanks for your time, George. Tell us how you got into boxing?
I got into boxing at a young age of 11 purely because I was overweight and it was impacting my performance playing rugby league. As the season had come to an end, my father Jim sat myself down and told me we had to do something in the off-season to help drop some kilos and build some fitness. After going back and forth on a few options, my father said, “You like the Rocky films? How about boxing?” I thought about it, for maybe five seconds, and said, “Let’s do it.” I knew that it would be something new, exciting, help me lose weight and give me an upper hand with the bullying I was receiving at school.
Bullied at school for being overweight?
Yes. They were tough times. I remember some days not wanting to go to school. Just being angry. When we would play lunchtime sport and teams were picked, I was always last to be picked. It was a battle everyday until I fell into boxing. I thank boxing for changing my life. Not for only all the success in my career, but also the early days where I was bullied, where I’d always come last and be picked last. My body changed, my confidence changed and the bullying finally came to a stop.
What would you say to those bullies now?
I’d say thank you! Without them, I don’t know if my boxing would have exceeded. Maybe I would have given up the first week, maybe even the first day. But I used their words, their bullying to drive my training sessions. It fuelled a fire to lose the weight and become a fighting machine and show them that their words had become a thing of the past.
You played rugby league for the Cronulla Sharks development squad. Why didn’t you pursue it? As my weight dropped dramatically from 62kg to 46kg and my fitness went through the roof my rugby league career improved dramatically. I had gone from a front row prop to a dummy-half hooker. I started to turn coaches’ heads and ultimately got selected to be in the Cronulla Sharks representative team. But at the same time I was boxing. I started my amateur career and was having amateur fights regularly. In my sixth fight, roughly around the same time I was picked in the Sharks squad, I became the NSW state champion. I had come to a crossroad, something my father had said would happen. My love for boxing had outgrown rugby league. The first team meeting we had for the Sharks squad, I didn’t want to be there especially when the training days clashed with boxing training days. My heart was all for boxing. So, I made a decision – the raw one-on-one combat of boxing just drove me. The training, the sacrifice, the sweet science of the sport, being in control of my own destiny… is what drove me to boxing. I didn’t have to rely on other players. My choice was set, I was going to be a fighter.
Your grandparents hail from Sparta and you have a tattoo of the famous Spartan army war cry “Never retreat, never surrender”. How important is your heritage to you?
My heritage, being from Sparta, is everything to me. I have it all over my body in forms of ink — to show the world who we are. I am a very proud Greek and a very proud Australian. I have both my countries on my shoulders when I fight. So, my heritage plays a huge role in my life, especially in boxing. I take the same approach when it comes to training. I put my body through hell to be ready for battle. I am militant and my discipline to the sport is how the Spartans were to become the greatest warriors the world has ever known. They were built and bred warriors, built fighters — exactly how I have built myself from a 11-year-old overweight bullied kid to a 28-year-old fighting machine. The fearlessness and ready to battle anyone, anytime approach is how I am perceived in the boxing world. Fear none and ready to battle whoever is in my way. I’m honoured to have even named my son Leonidas after King Leonidas — the greatest Spartan who ever lived.
Describe a normal training day for you?
A normal training day for me would feel like torture for the average person. I put my body through hell two or three times a day to be ready for whatever my opponent brings on fight night. My mornings start at around 6a.m. where I go for my morning 10km roadwork, followed by ab and core workouts. I then recover and fuel on nutritious foods for my 12p.m. boxing session, which usually goes for two-and-a-half hours. It includes shadow boxing, pad work, bag work, sparring and game planning followed by more ab and core workouts. Rest and more nutritious food follows before my final session of the day, which is strength and conditioning. These workouts vary from conditioning circuits, power lifts, explosive lifts, compound lifts, fitness circuits and speed and agility. By the end of the final training session I rest, fuel up with dinner and, depending on how sore my body is, I do a recovery session of ice and epsom salt baths, infrared sauna and sports massages. Then I get some quality sleep before waking up early to go through the brutal sessions and preparation all over again.
What are the most important muscle groups to work on in a fighter’s body?
Every muscle group is important in boxing. You want to have your muscles at 100% for maximum performance when you arrive at the fight. In saying that, your leg and core muscles play a massive role in a fighter. Strong legs give you more powerful punches and enables you to be movable around the ring and get in position to land attacks. Your core muscles help with your upper body movements to get in positions and land shots, as well as taking shots from your opponent. Every fighter knows the pain you feel from a body punch. Specific workouts needed for the following incude: UPPER BODY — push-ups, chest press, bent over rows, swimming, rower and ski erg machines; LEGS — running, skipping, deadlifts, squats, sprints and ladder drills; CORE — sit-ups, planks, resistance bands and swimming; ARMS — pad work, bag work, shadow boxing, bicep curls, resistance bands, push-ups, chin-ups and kettle bell swings.
Take us through your preparation before a fight.
It starts with making the 61.2kg weight on the weigh-in nice and clean 24 hours before the fight. I then get all my hydration fluids and nutritious complex carbs and proteins into me for my first meal. After I’m fuelled up, I have a rest, usually a nap or watch a movie, before enjoying a dinner with my team and family cracking some jokes, keeping my mind nice and fresh and getting more good nutrients into my body. I then like to get 7-8 hours of sleep before getting up early and going for a nice light walk and stretch. I try to keep a similar diet to what I eat in training camp so my body feels good and familiar with what I’m eating. I also get a nice rest/sleep in the afternoon for 1-2 hours before getting my fight gear ready and meeting my team, as we make our way to the venue. Once I get to the arena it’s game on and my tunnel vision is stronger than ever. I stay focused and go over the game plans before strapping my hands, getting the gloves on, going through the final pad work and finally making the walk to battle.
What do you always do before a fight?
I always sit down in my room by myself for a good 15 to 20 minutes and mentally visualise the game plan and focus on what victory means for me, my family and my future. I say to myself, “I’m all in! Victory by any means.”
What goes through your mind during a fight?
The game plans for victory, how this victory will change my life and also my kids and family. I keep my focus for every second during the fight because the worst thing that can happen to a fighter is to lose their focus and get caught by a punch they don’t see. I keep my focus because I’m fully zoned in on my opponent — I don’t let anything else distract me until I have victory.
Describe the mental strength needed in boxing.
The mental strength needed to be a boxer has to be unbreakable. You need to fully committed and zoned-in every single day in preparation. Your mental tunnel vision cannot let any obstacles affect it as you prepare for a fight. I am very gifted that I am mentally very strong and it keeps me super focused on my training and the fight.
What’s it like to win a fight?
Winning a fight is the best feeling in the world. When you have had a long and vigorous 10+ week preparation to beat one man who stands in your way of achieving success and then you achieve it — it’s amazing. It is a pressure lifted off your shoulders and a feeling that I believe every person should feel.
How does it feel to knock out an opponent?
When you land the perfect shot, and they go down, it’s a thrill. I love the feeling of my knuckle landing flush on an opponent’s face or body and then BANG they go down and it’s over. They say in boxing you don’t get paid for overtime, so a knockout is always special.
You have held the IBF Pan Pacific lightweight title since 2017. What’s it like to be a champion?
I’ve held many titles — the NSW and Australian Championships, the WBA PABA Championship, WBA Oceania Championship and IBF Pan Pacific Championship. They’ve all been important to my career as I now sit at World No. 1 and fighting for the Undisputed Championship in which I will win five World titles. So, it’s a great feeling being a Champion and knowing that all the hard work, sacrifice, dedication and blood sweat and tears I have put in has been worth it.
How do you manage your weight and diet?
My diet is very clean, I keep a high protein and complex carb diet. Lots of chicken, turkey and fish with brown rices and grains. I also have a lot of fruit and vegetables because they great for keeping the weight down but consist of many beneficial nutritious values, too. I drink a lot of alkaline water to stay fully hydrated. All the clean eating and lots of water, alongside my vigorous training routine manages my weight pinpoint perfect.
What can/can’t you eat and why?
I can eat lots of meats, complex carbs, grains, fruits and vegetables because with my heavy training load they are great fuel to keep me going and workout at ultimate performance. The things I can’t eat and I don’t eat are chocolates, sweets, soft drinks, cakes, pastries, preserved foods or takeaway foods. Yes they taste great but as an elite athlete it’s not the right fuel to put into my body to be able to perform to its best ability.
What advice do you have for our readers who want to get into competitive boxing?
To the readers of the great MAXIM magazine I say go for it. It is a challenge like no other. Being against another opponent in the ring in front of a roaring crowd, after you have dedicated 10+ weeks of your life to beat them, is a thrill to be experienced. My advice is find a good boxing gym where you can learn the sweet science properly, in which you will be able to then test yourself with sparring and training, and when the time is right, and you’re at 100%, take the big leap into a real competitive fight. ■
Photographed by Manny Roman
Interview by Santi Pintado
Produced by Jessica Athanasiou-Piork
Grooming by Alina Arkin Location SLS Brickell
For the full article grab the September 2021 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
