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Mike CoppingerESPN
NEW YORK – Teofimo Lopez was on top of the world.
With the win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in December 2020, Lopez was instantly and universally recognized as one of the 10 best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. With a big personality on top of his success, Lopez was on the fast track to superstardom.
Then came the first postponement of his seemingly routine title defense against George Kambosos Jr. — the result of Lopez’s positive test for COVID in June. Chaos ensued, with eight date changes and numerous legal threats that resulted in the fight being pushed to November, a different promoter and a different broadcast platform. Lopez, who hails from Brooklyn, was still on home turf at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and a 7-to-1 betting favorite.
But when they finally entered the ring Saturday, Kambosos made sure the fight was well worth the wait. He floored Lopez in the first round and survived a 10th-round knockdown to score one of the biggest upsets of 2021 — turning the stacked lightweight division upside down.
“I put him on his ass,” Kambosos, 28, told ESPN. “From that, I totally changed the fight straight away. He was hesitant. … We boxed very smart, and you know what I showed? My boxing skills. … I showed what a true champion is, to come back and win the fight and close it in great fashion.”
Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) was already looking past Kambosos to what he hoped was a massive 2022 filled with three fights. He hoped to kick off the year with a bout against undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor, followed by clashes with Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis.
Of course, all of those potential matchups were far from certain. In the aftermath of the shocking loss, Lopez’s future is more unclear than ever.
The 24-year-old Lopez claimed…
Source : espn
