Kambosos stuns Lopez to become unified champion

NEW YORK: Australia’s George Kambosos used a high-energy attack and a stinging overhand right to become the unified lightweight boxing champion with a shocking split decision victory over Teofimo Lopez on Saturday.

Both boxers came into the fight undefeated but the heavy underdog Kambosos made sure he was the one to leave with the 135-pound straps.

The 28-year-old Kambosos snatched the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in a close slugfest at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden that left the fighters bloodied and bruised by the end of the 12th round.

He had to bounce back from a 10th round knockdown to earn his third split decision victory in a row.

“I wasn’t hurt,” said Kambosos of the knockdown. “I said to my corner ‘Let’s go hard. I am going to punish this kid.’”

Kambosos won by 115-111 and 115-112 on two judges’ scorecards to improve to 20-0, with 10 KOs. One judge gave the fight to Lopez 114-113.

The American-Honduran Lopez was coming off a career-long 13-month lay-off for a fight that was a year in the making.

The soap-opera build-up to the showdown included eight postponements,

six proposed locations and numerous legal challenges because of in-fighting between boxers, promoters followed by lawsuits.

There were fireworks from the

opening bell as Kambosos, who was a 13-1 underdog, knocked Lopez down in the first round.

The pair both landed several hard rights in the round, but Lopez got caught with a looping overhand right to the temple. Kambosos would go back to that punch over and over with great success throughout the fight.

In the 10th, Lopez knocked Kambosos down with a chopping right hand of his own halfway through the round.

Lopez suffered a bad cut over his left eye in the 11th and the fight was stopped briefly so the ring doctor could take a look at it.

The fight continued into the 12th as Lopez’s corner was unable to stop the bleeding between rounds.

Lopez interrupted Kambosos’ postmatch television interview to say he was robbed and only lost two of the 12 rounds. Kambosos responded by saying “you are delusional.”

“I won tonight,” Lopez said as the crowd booed. “The ref didn’t raise my hand. I am not a sore loser. I came out here and did what I had to do. I won 10 of 12 rounds.”

The previously unbeaten Lopez was fighting for the first time since his breakthrough win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in October 2020 in Las Vegas.

The win elevated Lopez to the rank of undisputed champion but instead of capitalising on his success, he lost all the titles in just his first defence.