NEWS: GEORGE KAMBOSOS EXPLAINS TURNING DOWN SHAKUR STEVENSON -- FOR NOW

By: Jay Calderon

Recently, it was reported that former Jr. Lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson was in search of an opponent for his 135 pound debut. However, the search wasn't coming along all that well.

Initially, Stevenson was hoping to face Isaac Cruz in a final eliminator to the WBC title, currently possessed by unbeaten Devin Haney, but Cruz and his team were uninterested in the contest. Shakur's attention soon turned to the undefeated William Zepeda after a brief exchange via social media, but Zepeda's promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy claimed the fight needed time to build, though he admitted it was a "great fight" down the road.

Stevenson was then hopeful that an encounter with George Kambosos would come through, but ultimately shared via Twitter that the Aussie had also turned down the contest.

Now, in response to the tweet, Kambosos himself has shared why he elected to decline the offer -- for now.

"I done a hell of a lot at 135 (pounds), especially in a year," Kambosos tweeted. "I'm on well deserved holidays with my kids, anticipating my return mid next year. No one can question a damn thing after the year I had and the blood I gave to boxing. Full respect, Shakur, I feel an end of year war coming in 2023."

The year in question was a very busy one for the former Lightweight world champion. In November of 2021, Kambosos shocked the world when he defeated previously-unbeaten Teofimo Lopez for the gold. Kambosos then followed that up with a unification bout against current champion Devin Haney, followed by a rematch, both of which he lost.

All things considered, the argument coming from Kambosos seems reasonable. Provided he comes back in the middle of 2023, gets himself back into the win column, and ends up facing Stevenson, it would be hard to fault the Aussie for wanting some time to unwind and reset.

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