George Kambosos has threatened to 'retire' Vasiliy Lomachenko in their world title bout, with the two fighters needing to be separated at the press conference.
The pair will square off for the IBF lightweight title at RAC Arena in Perth on Sunday (AEST) and the Australian has made no secret of his plans to stop the Ukrainian.
Kambosos – who has fought just once since his two-straight defeats at the hands of Devin Haney in 2022 – will contest for the vacant crown against Lomachenko, in what promises to be a blockbuster between two warriors of the sport.
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Speaking three days out from the fight in Perth, the 30-year-old sent a damning message to his rival and claimed this will be the end of Lomachenko's career.
"When I beat Lomachenko, there'll be no more road for him to go … this is retirement for him," Kambosos said.
"I truly believe it. The way I'm sparring, the way I'm firing on every engine. The speed that I have – he's never seen this kind of speed and explosive power.
"The will, the heart I have, the desire to win this fight. I want this bad. I've prepared extremely hard for this fight. I've left no stone unturned. Sunday, you will see."
Kambosos (21-2) also declared it "doesn't get any bigger than this in boxing history in Australia" as he prepares to place himself back on the world stage.
After the two fighters traded barbs in front of the media, they would have a trademark staredown and pose for photos – but they eventually had to be separated after neither Kambosos nor Lomachenko flinched for over three minutes.
Heavyweight veteran Lucas Browne – who is also fighting on the card – attempted to pull apart the lightweights during their intense stand-off.
"It was cool … I've got all day! I ain't got nothing else to do," Kambosos told Main Event following the altercation.
World-renowned promoter Lou DiBella promised an entertaining bout between a "Mount Rushmore" fighter and the tough Aussie star.
"I think you're going to see a great fight," he said.
"Lomachenko is on the Mount Rushmore of active fighters right now. He's a tremendous fighter – but this is a better style matchup for George than Devin Haney.
"George has got a little bit of a physical advantage in size over Lomachenko. He's not the smaller man. It's a fight where I expect to see a terrific performance from Loma but I think George is going to stand up to the moment."
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