Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr: Fight prediction, card, odds, expert picks, preview, start time
CBSN
Lopez will finally end his saga with Kambosos on Saturday night in New York with his two titles on the line
The boxing calendar is finally zeroing in on Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr. after no shortage of complications to get to this date. Lopez will defend his IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles against IBF mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr. The card takes place at Hulu Theater inside Madison Square Garden from New York City (8 p.m. ET, DAZN -- subscribe now) Teofimo Lopez -1000 George Kambosos Jr. +650 Lightweight Azinga Fuzile -220 Kenichi Ogawa +180 Super featherweight Raymond Ford -1500 Felix Caraballo +850 Featherweight Andreas Katzourakis Wendy Toussaint Middleweight Zhilei Zhang -1200 Craig Lewis +750 Heavyweight Isela Vera Super bantamweight Christina Cruz Marygreen Vellinga Hinz Flyweight
Lopez (16-0,12 KOs) is coming off arguably the most important win of his professional boxing career to date when he scored a unanimous decision win over fellow top 10 pound-for-pound boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2020. Following a botched attempt by Triller to book Lopez vs. Kambosos multiple times, Lopez returns to the boxing ring following a 13-month layoff, the longest of his pro career. Triller originally won the purse bid to stage Lopez vs. Kambosos with a staggering bid. It was scheduled for June 5, subsequently pushed to June 19 and delayed once more to Aug. 14. Complications continued to arise after potential venues jumped from the U.S. to Australia, then Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and back stateside. The fight was locked in for Oct. 4 in New York City, pushed to Oct. 16 in Brooklyn and finally dissolved. Matchroom Boxing was awarded the fight after Triller defaulted on its obligations.
There were several names chomping at the bit to duke it out with Lopez following his upset victory over two-time Olympic champion Lomachenko. The Lomachenko rematch was considered, as well as a grudge match with Devin Haney; however, it was ultimately the IBF mandatory challenge who got the call. Lopez, the 10-to-1 favorite, is expected to extend his winning streak against his fellow undefeated fighter, adding another knockout to his record in the process.
