By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
IBF #5, WBO #9 lightweight George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr (16-0, 9 KOs) will clash with Richard Pena (11-2-1, 9 KOs) over ten rounds at the Galatsi Olympic Arena in Athens, Greece on Friday.
“I have fought in some amazing venues all over the world, from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to the Axiata Stadium In Kuala Lumpur, but to fight here in Athens, Greece, at the Galatsi Olympic Arena is something very special for me and I feel at home here,” said Kambosos. “My family origins are Greek and I am a very proud Greek Australian fighter and patriot. The Greek fans will get a chance tomorrow to see in the flesh a warrior who is knocking on the door for a world title, an undefeated top five world rated fighter, who has the same blood as they do.
“Greece has such a long history and ultimately where boxing has its origin story, so it’s only right that we have a world class fighter bring back this amazing sport to Greece with a packed stadium. I am ready to fill these shoes and do this. Friday night will be something very special. I have worked extremely hard in camp in my new base of Miami, FL, with head coach Javiel Centeno and I am excited and motivated to give the Greek fans, who are live in attendance as well as all the worldwide viewing audience, a spectacular fight and show them that George ‘Ferocious’ Kambosos Jr. is the real deal.
“I want to show them that they have a fighter with the same blood ready to become a world champion representing both the Greeks and the Australians with honor. I have a great team around me, from my coaches, my manager, my advisor and, of course, my promoter Lou DiBella, and together we will continue working toward becoming a world champion.”
“George is a proud fighter with proud roots in Greece,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “It was important for me to deliver him an opportunity to reconnect with those roots on his path to a world championship. And, who knows, down the road maybe we’ll see George return to bring a world championship fight to Greece.”
The bout can be streamed live at www.novasports.gr.