GEORGE KAMBOSOS has vowed to ‘destroy’ Teofimo Lopez and the ‘four kings’ lightweight era at the same time.
Throughout the 1980s, boxing was graced by Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns.
They were a quartet of superstars who all fought each other and earned the ‘four kings’ nickname.
Now promoters and managers are licking their lips at the prospect of another golden era, this time in the lightweight division.
Unified champion Lopez sits atop of the throne, with ready-made unbeaten rivals awaiting him in Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
But Aussie Kambosos, who challenges for Lopez’s belts in May, has promised to wreck those super-fights by ruling over the lot of them.
He told SunSport: “What’s a king to an emperor? A king might rule one land but the emperor will come over and rule many lands.
“They can be the ‘four kings’ no problem but the emperor is coming and coming to rule America.
“I’ve already ruled Australia, I came over to the UK and ruled there.
“Now I’m coming over to rule the US and destroy the supposed top leader, their king, the guy who is holding it down for them.”
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Lopez, 23, shot to superstardom in October, as he dethroned pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko, 32, on points.
Floyd Mayweather protege Davis, 26, is a career super-featherweight but has the power and backing to move up the weights.
Haney, 22, also mentored by Mayweather, was controversially handed the WBC belt in 2019, with Lomachenko elevated to ‘Franchise’ champ.
And Garcia, also 22, is primed as America’s next ‘Golden Boy’, but is yet to fight for world honours.
Kambosos, 27, meanwhile muscled his way into title contention by fighting across America and Europe, climbing the ranks.
He sealed the deal in October, flying 9,000 miles to beat ex-champion Lee Selby, 34, in London to become IBF mandatory.
And Kambosos is adamant his career stands out above the other contenders, having travelled far and wide while taking on all comers.
He said: “I’ve earned it the hardest way.
“Lopez has all the belts, he’s beat three former or world champions, the second guy is myself, I’ve beaten two former world champions.
“Devin Haney has only beaten one, and Gamboa was shot as ever, Ryan Garcia hasn’t beaten a world champion yet.
“Davis, he’s all over the place, he’s at 130, so he’s not really in the mix at 135.
“I’ve had to earn this the hard way. I’ve been overseas, the US, preparing all over the world with hard sparring sessions.
“This has been well earned, everything that has come has been deserving, but now I’m ready for those world titles.”
Lopez rolled the dice when negotiating his first title defence, refusing a package put together by his Top Rank promotion.
Instead, he gambled and went to purse bids, with social media app Triller blowing the competition out of the water with a £4.3million bid.
The huge payment to secure the rights further increased Lopez’s argument as a box office attraction, which started the night he upset Lomachenko.
But Kambosos is ready to stand up to the New Yorker and burst his bubble while spoiling his reign before it even gets going.
He explained: “No one has ever turned round to Teofimo and said, ‘I’m coming straight at ya. I don’t care what you’ve done’.
“They’ve all been scared of him, I don’t know why. He’s a young, 23-year-old little kid.
“I’m not scared of any man, I saw what Lomachenko did in that fight in the later part, I’m bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive and more violent.
“Just like Lopez shocked the world, it’s going to be very embarrassing come our fight.”
