Damian L. Delgado AverhoffESPN Digital WriterReading: 5 min.
Controversial win for George Camposos Jr.
The Australian defeated Maxi Hugues by majority decision, who now looked better than the IBO lightweight champion.
Australian lightweight George Camposos Jr. (21-2-0, 10 KOs) returned to winning ways with a controversial majority decision over England’s Maxie Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs).
The judges scored the bout 114-114, 117-111 and 115-113, which was cheered by the crowd in favor of the former unified 135-pound champion snapping a two-straight losing streak.
“We won a lot of rounds in the fight,” Camposos Jr. reasoned moments after hearing the judges’ decision. “We’re not going to give up on him, he’s a very tough fighter.”
With the victory, the 30-year-old Australian boxer became a challenger for the International Boxing Federation’s (IBF) lightweight belt and the lesser title of the International Boxing Organization’s (IBO) 135-pound king.
“I’m devastated,” insisted Hughes, who was cheered by the crowd. “I was told I wasn’t in the Camposos Junior League and went into the wolves’ den. My footwork was really good tonight. I hit really clean shots. I don’t want to be a loser, but people noticed what happened here today.”
The fight was very complicated. In the first half, he imposed his strategy by struggling on the counterattack, punishing Camposos’ mistakes mainly with uppercuts and left crosses. The Australian was distraught and the ghosts of his defeats against Haney seemed to haunt the Oklahoma facility.
Camposos, completely out of bounds, began to recover from the sixth round. He hit clean shots against a slightly more consistent Hughes.
When it appeared the Australian was closing the gap, Hughes adjusted and reverted to his original plan. The British boxer took a slight advantage to ensure the fight or at least a draw. Unfortunately, the judges saw it differently. Compubox statistics show the balance of the match, which could go either way.
Keeshan Davies continues to shine and rise
Keyshawn Davis won by unanimous decision
The top American prospect held off Belgian Francesco Padera to secure his ninth professional victory and remain undefeated.
In the co-feature, lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis (9-0-0, 6 KOs) topped the opposition ladder when he submitted a 10-round unanimous decision to veteran Belgian Francesco Patera (28-4-0, 10 KOs).
The judges’ votes of 100-89, 100-89 and 99-90 showed the American was in clear control.
“I’ll give myself a C or a B tonight,” Davis said. “I always like to face people with experience. Today I learned from every round”
The 24-year-old Davis and Tokyo 2020 Olympic runner-up beat Patera, 30, who has not lost since December 2017 and snapped a ten-fight winning streak with a straight right hand in the eighth round.
After this victory, the American boxer should climb the rankings of four organizations that were in the top 15 before the fight: 8th-WBO, 10th-WBA, 12th-IBF and 15th-WBC.
Undercard results for July 22 at Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma
• George Camposos Jr. G (DMK-12/12) Maxi Hughes, 12 rounds, won the Kambosos IBO lightweight title
• Keyshawn Davies G (TU-10/10) Francesco Padera, lightweight
• Giovanni Santillan G (TU-10/10) Eric Bone, Welterweight
•Stephen Shaw L (TKO-6/8) Joseph Goodall, Heavy
• Troy Isley G (TU-8/8) Antonio Todd, middleweight
• Amron Sands L (TKO-6/8) Hemi ahh, heavy
• Jeremiah Milton G (DKO-4/8) Willie Harvey, Heavy
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