The FEROCIOUS FIGHTER

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…

- Santi Pintado

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 every day 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?