EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,065 words- 0:00 – 1:31
Kambosos’ new-champion mindset: vision, manifestation, and finally arriving
- JRJoe Rogan
(drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
The Joe Rogan Experience.
- JRJoe Rogan
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (instrumental music plays) George, congratulations.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Thank you.
- JRJoe Rogan
What does it feel like?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah, look, it's been pretty crazy. You know, f- obviously on top of the world right now.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
But, um... You know, I've had that vision-
- JRJoe Rogan
Does it feel like you're living in a fog, like a dream?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
A little bit, but I've had that vision, you know, for so long, you know, have manifested it for so long and, um, you know, before this fight, even as a young amateur, I knew I'd be world champion. I knew one day my time would come and, you know, it finally did.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, I was told about you a couple of years ago by my friend Vinny Shorman, uh, who is, uh, big in the Muay Thai world, and Liam Harrison is a-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... Muay Thai world champion. They were telling me how awesome you were years ago. But, uh, until Saturday night of last week, the world, you know, they didn't know. They had to see it.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah, look, uh, both great guys and, um, I think it was 2018, I was in the sp- in, uh, Wild Card Gym sparring. And I'm in the ring and I see these two guys and they're watching, so I thought, "You know, I'll put on a show for these guys, and let's see, they might be someone that can take me to the next level, they might be promoters, who knows?" So I always wanna put a- put on a show. And, uh, they couldn't believe it. And then I knew that they were coming on your show when I started speaking to them. And when they dropped my name on it, I was like, "Wow, this is amazing."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
And now I'm here with you. You know, so...
- 1:31 – 3:34
From unknown contender to global upset: why the odds were so lopsided
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, your performance against Teofimo was, uh, spectacular. It was amazing. And, um, I mean, it was a, a fight where w- how much of an underdog were you coming into that fight?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I was a huge underdog, you know, seven to one underdog.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, BetOnline.AG had me seven to one, so, you know, um, that just shows you the adversity that you have to come through. You can be a massive underdog, but no matter what, you know, you get through it and you, you can win whatever you choose to do.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, you were undefeated coming into that fight, but you just hadn't faced the same level of opposition that he had. And it didn't mean that you weren't capable of it, it just, you just hadn't had the opportunity before. So it wasn't a seven to one, like, they didn't think you had the skills. It was seven to one that you just hadn't had that, that moment in the sun before.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I think because... That's right, I haven't had my moment yet leading into that fight, but, you know, he was coming off the big Lomachen- Lomachenko fight.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
The big win there. What he'd done in that fight, so impressive. He knocked out Richard Commey as well, so the hype, the, the, the noise that he was making, this was just gonna be a normal mandatory fight, you know, that took so long to make, and, um, he was supposed to just do the business and move on to something bigger. But, you know, that hunger that I had, you know, that, that tunnel vision to show who I am, to show how great I am. And I had to go through it all in that fight, you know, from the cuts to being put down in round 10, but I knew that this is my greatness now, how, how good I can be and show the world and shock the world.
- JRJoe Rogan
It is... You definitely did shock the world. It is a reoccurring theme in boxing, and in all combat sports, when someone takes an opponent lightly and they go in thinking they're just gonna steamroll this guy and then they get met with reality. I mean, it's happened so many times in fighters' careers. And then there's also the other reoccurring theme, a guy like yourself, who has his eyes on the prize, is completely focused, and people are counting them out, and then they rise to the occasion and become a superstar.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Y-
- JRJoe Rogan
And that's what happened to you.
- 3:34 – 4:39
Standing up to the bully: psychology, composure, and taking no step back
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You, you say it many times. A- and I feel that he didn't take me lightly because he was in great shape, he was in unbelievable condition. I felt as we led into the fight and we had that first press conference where we looked into each other's eyes and I saw that the, you know, a, a guy who... It came too fast and you needed to be matched with someone that was not gonna take a step backwards. And the whole thing was his whole preparation, I was never gonna take one step backwards. I never gave him that, that inch. And even in the fight, I never gave him that inch. I was always there to be dominant. And I felt like he was a, he was a bully kind of character, you know-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... where he bullied Lomachenko, he bullied Commey.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
He bullied all his, his past opponents. But, you know, I've come from bullying. I was an overweight kid at a young age.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I've been bullied all my life. You know-
- JRJoe Rogan
You were overweight?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I was overweight. I used to be 135 pounds at like 10 years of age until I fell into boxing. So, you know, I knew straight away, I go, "Okay, I know how to stand up to this guy. I know what I got to do in this fight." And he saw how serious I was, so, you know, we, we, we stayed focused, we kept the tunnel vision, and we, uh, we done the business.
- 4:39 – 8:15
The first-round right hand: setting respect early (Cus D’Amato influence)
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, you did a beautiful job of boxing him as well. I mean, you stayed in the pocket and cut angles, you landed beautiful combinations. That one right hand in the first round, though, really set the tone for that fight. When you sat him down at the end of the first and dropped him, and it was just... And, and it was a hard right hand. I mean, it was a beautiful right hand. And when you see his eyes roll back and he drops and he gets up and he's like, "What the fuck just happened?" That was a giant wake-up call and it really set the tone for the rest of the fight.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah, it did. Um, I went into that f- that first round, I knew he'd be very emotional, I knew he took it so personal, and leading up to the whole fight week when I kept getting asked, "Is this personal for you?" Because I knew, I knew it was so personal for him. I said, "No, this is business for me, you know, this is, it's another fight. This is what I love to do. Doesn't matter who's in, in that side of the ring for, uh, fighting against me." And, um, I knew I had to get his respect straight away. He would come out crazy, I stayed composed, I landed some really good short shots on the, uh, on the inside in that first round. And like the great Cus D'Amato said to Muhammad Ali when he fought George Foreman, he goes, "How am I gonna beat this guy? How, how can I beat this puncher?" And Cus goes, "Hit him with the right hand. In the first round hit him with your best right hand and show him that, hey, I can punch as well." And I had that in my head, you know? I, I have the great book by Cus D'Amato and I have it highlighted and before I went to the arena, I went over it and I showed it to my- to just have it in my head.
- JRJoe Rogan
What a, an amazing mind he had.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
He had.
- JRJoe Rogan
Cus D'Amato's mind for boxing, and for the psychology of boxing was just so incredible. You know? And the fact that Mike Tyson found that man when he was 13 years old-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... it's almost like destiny, you know?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
And you know what? Uh, uh, I believe that everything in life is destiny. You know, I look at m- my road to, to get to the championship, it's just, it's just fallen into place. But with destiny, you need to work hard. You need to, you know, take it in your own hands as well. But everything's meant to be, and that right hand was meant to be. And I said it to my team, I go, "You watching the first round, you're gonna catch him early. I'm gonna hurt him with something." Because I knew I was looking for that right hand. And when he came out crazy and he, you know, he was heavy on the front foot, he tried to fake the jab and I saw that front foot right there, I knew his head wouldn't move.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I go, "Okay, here it is. Here's that shot I've been dreaming about my whole life."
- JRJoe Rogan
Bang.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I let it go like a lightning strike.
- JRJoe Rogan
Let's take a look at it. Jimmy, show me that punch, 'cause that was just so beautiful. I screamed when I was at home and I watched it.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. It was-
- JRJoe Rogan
I yelled out. I was by myself-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Was you?
- JRJoe Rogan
... sitting in the living room. Oh!
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
The whole world just jumped up and go, "Okay-"
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. Oh, my god.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
"... now we gotta fight." Because I don't think many expected me to even stand a chance in the first round. You know, they were so vocal about one round, one round-
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... especially his dad. (smacks lips) But-
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, his dad made a huge bet. Didn't he bet $100,000 that he was gonna knock you out within two rounds?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. Well, I wanna find out the person he bet against, because-
- JRJoe Rogan
Here it is. Here it is. Take a look at this and-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... take it in.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
See that short left hook there? Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Nice, beautiful left hook. Well, it's, you were in front of him, but you weren't there.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- 8:15 – 10:22
Why it got personal: COVID postponements, hotel confrontation, and ‘headhunting’
- JRJoe Rogan
It was an amazing performance. Why, why was it emotional for him? What was, what was about that?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
He had this, um, this theory in his head, and the people around him, you know, someone told him that... When he tested positive for COVID and we were in Miami, you know, I was very upset, very disappointed. You know, I trained four- for four months in preparation-
- JRJoe Rogan
Why... Wasn't this sh- this fight was rescheduled like five times?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. Well, June 19th was the original date. And, um, four days out, he tests positive for COVID. So on the day that I found out, obviously I'd been away from my kids, my family. I flew in my pregnant wife, you know, out to be with me, you know, for that fight week. She took a lot of sacrifice as well, because the doctors were telling her not to go-
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... with the way the world is at the moment, but-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... you know, that's the sacrifice we make. And, um, you know, when I found out, I was devastated. Literally wanted to cry because this is how much it meant to me. And then I was obviously angry and upset. So that night when we were going back to our room, we had a f- uh, a dinner and we went to the, the room. On the way to the room, there was the bar, and his team were, were having a good time and enjoying themselves. Obviously, not, Lopez was not there. And I found it strange, I go, "Why are they enjoying themselves? You know, their son just, you know, ruined the fight." But, um, one of his team members tried to be a smart-ass and come up and tried to take a photo-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... and tried to be, you know, tried to ag- aggravate me. And I got my wife, I got m- my, my father with me, I've got my team. I said, "Look, just stay away. It's not the time. You know, I don't know, you guys might have COVID, you know, you're with your, with Lopez all the time." And they got a little bit more aggressive and tried to push the matter. And I said, "Look, just get the fuck out of here. I don't wanna deal with it right now." And that's all it was. And all of a sudden, someone's gone and told him that I've had a go at his mother, which I never even saw his mother. I don't even know what she looks like. And that just played.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I think they were trying to motivi- motivate him. I think they were just trying to, uh, push him a little bit extra, make it more personal. But that's the worst thing. You don't wanna take this, any combat sport personal-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... 'cause as soon as you do, everything is slow. You, you, you lose your reactions-
- JRJoe Rogan
Intense.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... you go into headhunting and you can see it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
He was headhunting and, you know, perfect for, it felt perfect for, for me that I, what I was coming to do.
- 10:22 – 12:55
Rounds 10–12 adversity: flash knockdown, conditioning, and closing strong
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, you maintained that composure through the entire 12-round fight too, which was incredible. Like, your, your precision, your movement, you never got ti- you never got lazy, you never just stood in front of him. You know, and even when you got caught in the tenth, you still bounced back beautifully in the 11th.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
I mean, you were, you, you never, you didn't adjust, you didn't change anything. You know, you didn't like become hesitant.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yep. And, and that's a testament to my conditioning and how hard I train and how prepared I am for every single fight. And that's been my whole career. You know, from my pro debut to winning the undisputed championship, I have prepared for every opponent, given them respect, and prepared as a world championship fight. So, when I got put down in round 10, I was actually smiling. I was enjoying the, the whole adversity because this is what makes fights like this great. I mean, okay, now you're gonna show how great you are. You're gonna rise. And that was 1:45 in that round. I think Lopez finishes any other lightweight in the world at that stage. But, um, not this lightweight.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, I had that, that, that inside me. And, you know, it's, it's crazy how bad-
- JRJoe Rogan
How bad were you hurt by that right hand?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I wasn't badly hurt. It was more like, uh, a flash knockdown. You know, kind of back of the ear, cut the ear.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
The equilibrium was a little bit out. But, um, it's gonna take a lot more than, than that shot to, to put me away. I come back to the, to the corner and the coaches were like, uh, "You all right? You okay?" I go, "Yeah, yeah, I'm good." And I started smiling. They go, "You sure? Why are you smiling for?" I said, "Because I made the mistake there. Now watch what I'm gonna do. Watch how great I'm gonna be." And I think round 11 was the best round of the fight. I literally busted him up. And then round 12 closed the show.
- JRJoe Rogan
That cut that he had over his left eye was brutal.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It was. It was, it was from a punch.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yep.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
A beautiful shot-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... split him open. My one f- was from a, a head clash, so, you know, they, they thought I couldn't punch. They thought I didn't have the, the, the power. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Why do you think they thought that? Is that just wishful thinking? Did they just get overconfident?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I think because my last two fights, when I fought, uh, Mickey Bay and Lee Selby, both former world champions, you know, I, I didn't knock them out, but these guys are veterans of the sport, guys that have been there before. So, they know how to, to move around the ring. Much more experienced than what I was at that stage and great exp- more experienced than what Lopez has. Um, I just, uh, had to box nice with them guys, you know, learn the tricks from the veterans. But they felt the power as well. So, I knew what I possessed, I knew what I had in, in, in the tank and, and in the bank. Um, and that's it, done my business against Lopez.
- 12:55 – 25:39
Pacquiao sparring apprenticeship: 250 rounds, mountain runs, and ‘one percenters’
- JRJoe Rogan
D- having b- trained with Manny Pacquiao had to be a huge asses- asset for you, because even though Bay was probably your biggest name opponent up until then-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... you know, you'd been ... How many rounds had you done with Manny?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
250 rounds.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Over three world total campaigns, so ...
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow. So, it started with the Jeff Horn fight.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It did, yeah. When, um, when Jeff got obviously the fight with Manny Pacquiao, I was in Los Angeles and, um, I was sparring his sparring, ex-sparring partners, uh, Jose Ramirez and, um, Ray Beltran. I was going five and five, and these guys are good fighters, former world champions. And, uh, Freddie come over and he goes, he goes, "You know, uh, Manny's got the Jeff Horn fight?" I said, "Yeah, I'm hearing about it." He goes, "Well, you're sparring his sparring partners. How would you like to go against your, your countryman and help Manny prepare?" I said, "Freddie, I'm all in." You know, I know he's my countryman, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime.
- JRJoe Rogan
You can't g-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Manny's my idol.
- JRJoe Rogan
You can't pass that up.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
So, um, I had a fight, uh, bef- uh, a couple of weeks after the sparring sessions that, that I impressed and got the opportunity, so I still had to win that fight against, uh, Kamil Bala in, uh, New Zealand. And in between that fight, I got a really bad cut on my eye and the first thing that s- that went in my head was, "I've got to spar with Manny Pacquiao in a week and a half. Okay, now this cut might, might stop it." Uh, so I wasn't even thinking about the opponent or thinking about-
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... the fight. I knew I, I was gonna win this fight by any means, but I was thinking about my opportunity against Manny Pacquiao. But, you know, we got there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you superglue it?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Uh, we got the stitches.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
A week after the stitches came out. I was putting so much vitamin E cream and every bit of, you know, theory that I could find on the internet to, to make sure-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... it closed up good and wasn't gonna give me an issue. And, uh, went into that first sparring session with Manny and it was okay with a, with a cut.
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you know Jeff Horn?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I did know Jeff, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah, we were in the amateurs together.
- JRJoe Rogan
How did he feel about you training with Manny?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah, he wasn't happy at that stage.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, but, um, yeah, he's a good guy. He's actually a good guy of the sport and at that stage he had come out and, and said, um, you know, "Why is he going against me? He's countryman. Why couldn't he give me a phone call?" And me being me, you know, I, I turned around and him being a school teacher and said, "I've never asked for permission, you know-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... from, from a school teacher ever. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna go do my thing with, with Pacquiao no matter what."
- 25:39 – 42:46
Weight cuts and fighter safety: why Kambosos keeps it modest at 135
- JRJoe Rogan
How much weight do you cut?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Uh, not much. 10 pounds. Yeah, I, I-
- JRJoe Rogan
So how much, how many days do you need to do that and feel good?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Naturally my bodyweight, m- it comes r- right load, um, the day before the weigh-in, you know, a pound and a half, two pounds in a hot bath and I, I'm there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, nothing.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
The weight is easy.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's great.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
But I feel good. You know, I've been told that you should go to 130 before I won these championships, "You could be champion at 130." I said, "Yeah, I can be champion at 130. I, I would be champion at 130, but what for?" Like, uh, I'm 135-
- JRJoe Rogan
You're champion at 135. Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I'm champion at 135 and I feel good at 135. I feel strong at 135, I've got that extra bounce, that energy. I can eat throughout the weight cut, so-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, sometimes fighters wanna sacrifice, you know, that weight division and, a- and lose that extra bit, but they lose themselves in, in the actual battle, in the fight.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
The fight becomes the weight cut. We've seen it time and time again.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, in the UFC it's a bigger problem-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yes, yep.
- JRJoe Rogan
... 'cause there's only eight weight classes.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yep.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's, uh, the, the gaps between the weight classes are ridiculous.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Well, you look at, um... I was looking at some photos of Conor McGregor-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... when he was fighting at that, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
45.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... 45.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, oof.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
And how skinny he was-
- JRJoe Rogan
He looked like death.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... and looked brutal.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
And even Khabib as well-
- 42:46 – 48:52
Next opponents at 135: Haney, Tank, Garcia, Lomachenko—and no tune-ups
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
At this stage there's so much unfinished business at 135, and because I make the weight so, so good-You know, there's no vision of 140 right now.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
But once I take all these guys out, the Haney's, Gervonta Davis, you know, Ryan Garcia, if he gets his act together and starts fighting, Lomachenko, that's my plan to take them all out. And even in the next fight, there will be no tune-up fight. It'll be straight in there again, against a big, big name. So, once we, uh, we handle that business, then we'll look at moving up, moving up to 140.
- JRJoe Rogan
Did you watch Gervonta's fight?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I was there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, were you there?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I was there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, okay.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, and the crazy thing was, you know, before the fight, they, they showed the cameras and, uh, they were showing all the basketball players there, and all of a sudden they showed me, and the applause that I got.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I couldn't believe it. I thought, "This is unbelievable. This is crazy."
- JRJoe Rogan
You're a star now, man. (laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It's growing, it's growing, but, um, you know, it's, it's been that... The way I looked at it was, you know, I was a, I was a rough-cut diamond, and I knew what I had.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
My team knew what we had. And we just had to keep polishing it and keep shining, and now it's shining. And the world can see it, and they can see the person I am. You know, I'm a confident fighter, but outside of the ring, you know-
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, the per-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... I am who I am.
- JRJoe Rogan
Your performance was so good.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Thank you.
- JRJoe Rogan
Now, when you, um, see what happened with Lopez when he beat Lomachenko, it was a fr- kind of a similar thing.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right? Like, that made him. That, that's what made his star rise, and then you came along and-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Took the star. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, took the star. (laughs) You ruined the party. But, uh, Gerv- what do you think is the big fight in that division? Uh, is it Gervonta?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I think, uh, Haney or, Haney or Tank.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
They're, they're the big names.
- JRJoe Rogan
Either one?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Either one.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- 48:52 – 51:59
Bringing boxing to Australia: Marvel Stadium vision and home-country advantage
- JRJoe Rogan
You talked about the difficulty in coming from Australia and getting over here and, and competing. Do you think that you'll set up your next training camp here and bring everybody over in advance? Would that make it easier if you're fighting here? Or do you think you could lure somebody to Australia for a big money fight?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. Um-
- JRJoe Rogan
Which, I mean, you'd probably sell out a fucking giant arena-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... in Australia right now, right?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Australia is the plan.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, I think I've, I've, I've earned that. I deserve that. I've been on the rise since 2017. And I'm-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. You need one at home, right?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I need one at home. And look, you got the beautiful Marvel Stadium.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
They had Adesanya and Whittaker there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, that there will be 70,000, 80,000 people.
- JRJoe Rogan
(exhales)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It'll be packed to the rafters. You know, um, Melbourne, Melbourne is fantastic because there's 600,000 Greeks. It's the second-biggest Greek population outside of Athens.
- JRJoe Rogan
Really? Wow.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
So me being such a cr- a proud Greek-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... they are going nuts back home. They are smashing every plate they have.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, it's been, been crazy. So, um, that is the plan. I know Haney's up for it. I know Lomachenko is up for it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Tank, I don't know if he wants to come to Australia. I don't even know if he can get into Australia, to be honest.
- JRJoe Rogan
Why is that?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Well, he has a lot of, uh, you know, certain charges on, on himself.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, does he? Whoops.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Um, so I don't know if he can get in there, but, um, we'll see, you know.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah. Um, wh- do you have a preference, the fight that you think would be the bigger fight?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
All of them, yeah.
- 51:59 – 55:22
Travel, jet lag, and performance routines: training immediately after landing
- JRJoe Rogan
It's rough. And you're just bewildered for weeks afterwards. You're, you're so confused. And I wanted to talk to you about that. Like, what is that like when you do your preparation and then you come over here for a fight, how much time do you have to give yourself?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Usually, in my, my last fights, I've been here for eight weeks, ten weeks, you know. At points I'd bring my whole family, my kids over. Um, but for the start of this preparation, I was here for four months before he tested, uh, positive for COVID.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, I was here by myself, and then my, uh, father and my Australian coach came over, you know, so we had the preparation here, we're accustomed to the time difference. Everything was perfect. Then when he tested positive for COVID, I said, "I don't know how long he's gonna be ... till he's ready to get in the ... inside them ropes again."
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
This could take forever."
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
"I can't just stop my life. I gotta get back home. I, I gotta go be with my kids. I've gotta be a father." So we flew back home. We done that bloody quarantine for two weeks, which is not easy, and then, um, you know, continued preparation in Australia. Then I flew back two and a half weeks out for this fight.
- JRJoe Rogan
That, that's not a lot.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
So it wasn't a lot. But I knew because I've done this trip so many times that my body would be accustomed.
- JRJoe Rogan
Is it harder to go back there or to come over here?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It's harder to go back.
- JRJoe Rogan
They say that.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I f-
- JRJoe Rogan
I've heard that, and someone should-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I've, I've found-
- JRJoe Rogan
... explain that to me, and I don't understand it.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. I've found that coming here, 'cause you don't lose any time-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... you literally leave at 10 in the morning in Australia, and, uh, by the time you get here, it's still the same day, um, 6 or 7 in the morning, so it's just-
- JRJoe Rogan
Which is fucking crazy.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It's unbelievable.
- JRJoe Rogan
How is everyone-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
It's like I could train (laughs) , I could train ... I've thought about it, this is how mad I am with my training. I go, "I could train just before I get on that flight, and then I can get to LA, and I can train again." So that means I've done two sessions and lost no time. (laughs) It's unbelievable.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right. Yeah, that is crazy. And when you do that, do you try to train the moment you land just to kind of kill the-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Straightaway.
- JRJoe Rogan
Straightaway?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Straightaway.
- JRJoe Rogan
To kill the jet lag?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I, I need to train. I need to sweat.
- 55:22 – 1:10:25
Nutrition, supplements, and training structure: three-a-days and real food recovery
- JRJoe Rogan
Are you, um, are you very strict with your diet?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Very strict.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Very strict. Um-
- JRJoe Rogan
Like, what's, what's a, a normal meal like for you?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, I have, uh, a high protein, so my chicken, my turkey, you know, uh, lean beef. And then I like my complex carbs, you know, my sweet potato, my pumpkin, you know, some brown rice, uh, some quinoa. And then from there, you know, my salad, my veggies. You know, that's it. Yeah. Clean, super clean.
- JRJoe Rogan
Do you have, uh, someone prepare meals for you?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Not really.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
My wife, obviously when, when we're, we're at home together. But, um, when I'm here I'm doing most of it my- myself, and I enjoy it. You know, I love the aspect of the nutrition, you know, uh, eating right, getting the right fuel into your body. Because a lot of fighters, they train unbelievable, but all of a sudden they stuff up on the nutrition. They stuff up with the post weigh-in, you know, the right meals. Li- straight after the weigh-in I had my hydration and I had a meal ready to go.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
My turkey, my avocado, you know, the good fats, the good protein, you know, to put all the good stuff back into me.
- JRJoe Rogan
Now, have you worked with a nutrition to develop this meal plan or-
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Very early in, in, uh, in my career, I think I was still an amateur, I did go to a nutritionist, learn a couple facts, and then the rest was just my, my own study. Trial and error. You know, I'd sit there and, you know, I'd have a... I know I'd have a big sparring session, you know, on a certain date, and I'd work on things leading into that sparring session to see how I felt. So you can have a nutritionist, you can have a, a f- uh, dietician team, but it depends how your body feels, you know? What might work for you might not work for me, so...
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
You know, I've, I've come to a point where I know exactly what I gotta do to make the weight, to have the right energy. But again, I'm always open to learn. That's why I study so much on it, and I'm always open to, to learn more and more.
- JRJoe Rogan
And how did you come to turkey and chicken? Do you... Did you try seafood? Have you tried... Do you e- eat meat, like red meat?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Yeah. I do, I eat meat. I eat, uh, red meat. Um, I just love turkey and chicken. The high protein about it, um, you know, it just sits good in my stomach. But as well a lot of prawns as well.
- JRJoe Rogan
Prawns?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Uh, yeah, because they are high protein-
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... uh, low calorie. You know, so that there, I was having a fair bit leading into this fight, and it was unbelievable with the weight. You know, best I've ever felt, felt. Easiest I've ever ma- ever made weight, and um-
- JRJoe Rogan
What's like the heaviest you ever get?
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
Probably 147. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, that's not bad at all.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I checked my weight, uh, two days ago, and obviously I've been eating a little bit more now-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
... because I just had a, a big win.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm. (laughs)
- GJGeorge Kambosos Jr.
I think I was like 140. I was like 144.
Episode duration: 1:57:51
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Transcript of episode N6tz6toAguE
