George Kambosos Jnr believes he is being written off again ahead of a potential showdown with the IBF junior-welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins.

Kambosos Jnr has been proving people wrong for much of his career, when taking to the road to defeat various fighters against the odds, including the then-undefeated unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2021.

He was written off by all but his team that night but shocked the world when he dropped Lopez in the opening round and took a split decision on the judges’ scorecards. Since that victory, Kambosos, 31 years old, is 1-3 in his four fights.

To look at that record is to question if the Australian has lost his touch, but his opponents reveal that Kambosos Jnr has only lost to the elite. Two defeats were inflicted by Devin Haney in 2022 for the undisputed championship, and a third was by the great Vasily Lomachenko in 2024, and represented Kambosos Jnr’s first inside the distance.

Those defeats, perhaps inevitably, have led to questions regarding whether Hitchins would ensure another, but Kambosos Jnr is ready to prove those questions misplaced.

“People want to disrespect me and say what they want to say,” he, told BoxingScene. “But who have I lost to? I lost to Devin Haney and Vasily Lomachenko. I fought the biggest names in the sport.

“For me, Hitchins has not fought any big elite, elite name. Yes, he had a great fight against [Liam] Paro, who I obviously respect there, but he hasn't fought the elite. I'm talking about the pinnacle of the guys like Lopez; the guys like Devin Haney.

“I went twice with him and Lomachenko. That's elite pinnacle, 0.001 per cent of boxing; I've been in there with them. I fought these guys. I know 110 per cent that I will beat him when the time comes. I love being a road warrior. New York is a good place for me.”

Kambosos Jnr will have to earn his shot at Hitchins via a victory over Australia’s domestic 140lbs champion Jake Wyllie on Saturday at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, his home city. Fighters in the same position as him have been guilty of losing their focus from what is directly in front of them.

The seasoned Kambosos Jnr, however, has been here before and won’t be guilty of overlooking the 16-1 (15 KOs) Wyllie.

“I'm focused on one guy right now and that's Jack Willey,” he said. “He's coming to spoil the party. Like I said, this is a Rocky story, but it's not a Rocky movie. There is no happy ending.

“Look, I'm so experienced. I'm so seasoned that I've been in this situation before. Remember, I fought Lee Selby for a world-title eliminator, where I had Lopez, the undisputed champ of the world, four belts on the line.

“I knew that would be big, big money and life changing for me. So of course, that's the motivating factor. That's the inspiration. That gives you that extra edge with the guy I'm fighting in front of me. And then I've been in these situations many times. I'm not a stupid fighter.

“I'm not a guy that we've seen in the past where people focus on too many other names and getting caught up in all the smoke and all the hype,” he continued. “I'm too focused. I'm too zoned in. I'm too experienced with that. So Jake Wyllie is the guy in front of me. He's the guy I'm obviously focused on.

“And of course, there's a motivating factor with a big carrot dangling to fight Hitchins for the IBF 140lbs title next. But all that is right now is just talk and motivation to handle my business.”