By: Hans Themistode
At one point, it looked like we would never get here.
With both Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr. both endured months of unwanted delays, the pair eventually squared off in the ring. And while Kambosos Jr. assures all who will listen that he is stupid to cut out the uniform position of the unified lightweight title list, no one believes him until it is too late.
When the New York crowd flocked to their seats at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, they immediately voiced their displeasure when Kambosos Jr. step onto the stage. The smiling Aussie boy appeared unaffected as he shook his head as he entered the ring.
In a contrasting way, the packed crowd got up and screamed as Lopez ran down the street to the ring. Moments later, after their introduction, Kambosos Jr. silence the crowd.
With so many pent-up frustrations, Lopez stepped out like a possessed man. He throws a hard right hook to kick things off. While Kambosos Jr dodged the attack, Lopez continued to attack with all his might. Seemingly surprised by his man’s aggression, Kambosos Jr. back to peddling for most of the round.
Just when it looked like Lopez had pocketed in the first round, the Australian-born Australian hit a forehand that sent the unified lightweight player to the floor for the first time in his career.
Lopez smiled and nodded in agreement as if he had acknowledged Kambosos Jr. When the next round started, Lopez appeared fine. He bounced up and down with his toes and began tagging his longtime opponent with nasty hits. In the third round, it was like Lopez showing up to pick up momentum. That said, Kambosos Jr refused to let a lifetime opportunity slip through his fingers.
Australian product starts tagging Lopez repeatedly for the fourth time. Not wanting to allow Kambosos Jr to command the round, Lopez attacked his man’s midsection. Despite the increased work for the body, Kambosos Jr did not give up as he continued to dominate this period.
When their contest was halfway through, Kambosos Jr. was completely under control. He flaunted in front of the crowd and continued to make Lopez slip in the process. Seemingly furious at this point, Lopez has finally begun to find his rhythm again in season eight. With his father urging him to pick it up, Lopez began picking him up.
Beyond the unified list of finding his mark, Kambosos Jr seems to be fuming. In the 10th half, things turned extremely bleak for the top laner as he hit the deck, thanks to a 24-year-old right-hand man.
For the duration of the round, Kambosos Jr returned to the street vendors and tried to pack and move. In a complete change of events, Kambosos Jr received his second wind. In the last two rounds, he continued to use forehand punches and straight barbells.
As the final ten seconds of the 12th began to pass, both men stood squarely in the middle of the ring and slid it out. Even though their contest was officially over, Kambosos Jr pushed Lopez as he ran around the ring fully believing he had done more than enough to win their contest, he was right.
Although ultimately very tight, Kambosos Jr. was awarded the decisive victory. Referee Don Trella scored 114-113 in favor of Lopez but he was missed by Frank Lombardi 115-111 and Glenn Feldman 115-112.
