By: Hector Franco
Last weekend, the world of boxing turned upside down when George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 KOs) beat Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) favorite heavyweight to win the WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine lightweight titles.
When the first bell rang to start the fight, the Kambosos were the weaker team 13 to 1 and +600, according to BET MGM. Those odds became void when Kambosos landed his right arm late in the first half sending Lopez into his seat.
Kambosos will be more than just the standard mandatory guard and showpiece for Lopez, who was later ranked by Ring Magazine as the number seven boxer in the UK following his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko last year.
The Australian boxer with the words “Never Retreat, Never Surrender” tattooed on his back, proved to be brave, brave and outclassed Lopez for most of the match. Lopez, to his credit, kept going forward and scoring his own knock in the 10th round.
But when the final bell rang, it was Kambosos who left with the victory and decided to split the points on the referee’s scorecard.
Victory was demonstrated by Kambosos, who never wavered in confidence against Lopez in and out of the ring.
“You’re in a bright light,” Kambosos said at a pre-match press conference. “I was in the dark, in the trenches, in the gym – hard work, blood, sweat and tears. I’m hungry. He said he was hungry; he is lying. I am hungry, and we are ready for war.”
The fight between Lopez and Kambosos was originally set to take place in June in Miami, FL, on the Triller platform. However, multiple delays, including Lopez testing positive for coronavirus, resulted in the fight being promoted by Matchroom Boxing on the DAZN streaming platform and taking place in New York.
The delay could have been a factor in both men’s performances, but the match that exceeded expectations was one of the best of 2021.
There was no rematch clause in place and Lopez moved up to lightweight, lightweight having a whole new face at the top of the division.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in me,” Kambosos said in an interview with promoter Eddie Hearn for DAZN. “Perhaps 99.9% of the world doesn’t believe in me. They thought they would knock me out in the first round. But the most important person who trusted, obviously, was my team, but most importantly myself. I believed like crazy. I did not change during the entire preparation.
“I knew I was going to hit this kid. Take everything off of him, and that’s what I did.”
Waiting like a hyena for the Kambosos as the top boxers in the division salivate at the chance to fight the Greek-Australian boxer.
Boxers such as Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Vasyl Lomachenko, Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis all congratulated Kambosos on the win, but also said they wanted to take on the Australian.
This weekend, two potential future Kambosos opponents will step into the ring. Davis will defend her WBA lightweight title against late replacement and lightweight Isaac Cruz.
The opponent that seems to have the highest probability of encountering the Kambosos next is Haney, who holds the WBC lightweight belt. Haney will defend her title against former IBF super featherweight champion Joseph “Jojo” Diaz in Las Vegas.
Haney’s impressive style win over Diaz will likely put him on the live track to take on the Kambosos. However, Kambosos has made it clear that he wants his next fight to take place in his native Australia.
“My next match will be in Australia, in an 80,000-seat stadium,” said Kambosos. “I think Devin Haney has to look good this weekend. I will be there to see. And if he looks good, then we’ll sit down, make it work, and let’s do it. ”
For his part, Haney has stated that he is ready to go to battle the Kambosos.
“That’s the kind of fight we’re going to do,” Haney said. “When it’s undisputed, for all the belts, he has the majority of them. If you have to go, that’s it.”
Last year, fans and pundits honored Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia as the four kings of this era at lightweight, with some including Shakur Stevenson.
It is hasty to compare a group of boxers with the likes of Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran that they do not enter the ring together.
And it looks like these boxers won’t be facing off against each other any time soon.
Overnight, George Kambosos changed the guard in the light division. His win over Lopez had a significant impact on potential skirmishes that could ensue.
Longtime HBO journalist and commentator Larry Merchant once stated, “Fight makes fight.” Kambosos seems ready to fight any opponent.
“I live for this,” said Kambosos. “I like this. Blood. Knockdowns. Exchanges back and forth. I am a warrior. I am a Spartan warrior. As for me, I would do this weekly if I had to. ”
One of the most desired new men in the sport is one who welcomes all challengers.
