George Kambosos will meet Maxi Hughes in a lightweight fight in July in Shawnee, Oklahoma, sources told ESPN.

The former undisputed lightweight champion is now with Top Rank after agreeing to a new multiyear, co-promotional deal with Lou DiBella, and the fight vs. Hughes will headline an ESPN card, sources said.

Kambosos won't be fighting in his homeland due to promoter Matt Rose's PPV exclusivity for fights that take place in Australia, sources said.

Kambosos (22-2, 10 KOs) returned to Australia a star after defeating Teofimo Lopez in New York to capture the undisputed lightweight championship in ESPN's 2021 Upset of the Year.

The 29-year-old dropped back-to-back decisions to Devin Haney in Australia, and will now look for his first win since the Lopez bout.

Kambosos is rated No. 5 by ESPN at lightweight, and a victory should bring him one step closer to another title shot.

Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) is coming off the best win of his career, a majority-decision victory over former featherweight titleholder Kid Galahad in September.

The 33-year-old Englishman has reeled off seven consecutive wins since a 2020 loss to Liam Walsh, including a points win over Jono Carroll.

Top Rank added another lightweight to its stable on Thursday with the signing of Jamaine Ortiz, who gave Vasiliy Lomachenko a tougher-than-expected challenge in October.

Top Rank will promote the undisputed lightweight championship bout between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 in Las Vegas on ESPN+ PPV. The company also promotes top lightweight Shakur Stevenson.

Sources: Ex-champ George Kambosos to face Maxi Hughes in July

2023-05-05 17:37:00