13-1 underdog George Kambosos shocked Teofimo Lopez and the entire boxing world by defeating Lopez via split decision at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City Saturday night.
Scores were 114-111 Kambosos, Lopez 114-113, and Kambosos 115-112.
Maxboxing had Kambosos winning by a 115-112 tally.
The fight started quickly. Lopez came out firing bombs, but nothing landed. Kambosos connected with a check hook. Lopez knocked Kambosos off balance with a right hand. He landed a right, but a counter-overhand right floored Lopez near the end of the stanza. The champion looked stunned as he got up quickly.
The fighters met in the center of the ring in round two. Lopez jabbed and worked the body. Kambosos, the smaller man, clipped Lopez with a right. Lopez continued his aggressiveness. Kambosos was trying to time him.
In round three, Kambosos circled to his left. Lopez jabbed and hooked upstairs. Kambosos scored with a double left hook.
Kambsos landed an uppercut. Lopez caught Lambsos with a hard left hook. Seconds later, a right appeared to rock Kambosos. Lopez went back to stalking in round four. Kambosos caught him with a right and left hook to the chin. Lopez cracked Kambosos with a straight right to the jaw.
The crafty Kambosos opened up some more near the end of the heat. Kambosos, his confidence growing, came out punching in round five. Lopez clipped Kambosos with a left hook. Kambosos,28, landed stinging jabs while Lopez crashed home two rights. Kambosos, showing a solid a good chin, took the shots without incident.
Lopez came back in round six – landing hooks to the face in round six. Kambosos fired counter punches and a left-right. Lopez looked confused. Kambosos, bleeding from a cut over his left eye, refused to back down.
Both fighters scored with jabs in round seven. Kambosos clipped Lopez with a straight right. Lopez was still loading up while Kambosos was outworking him. The Aussie landed a thudding uppercut which stopped Lopez in his tracks.
Kambosos scored some more points with jabs in round eight. Lopez swung and missed. Kambosos tagged Lopez with a combinations. Lopez finally caught Kambosos with a right near the end of the round. Lopez stabbed Kambosos with a body shot.
Though told he was winning the fight, the defending champion appeared to be behind. He upped the ante in round nine. Lopez connected with a big right hand that hurt Kambosos. The Aussie battler came back to catch Lopez with a right.
Lopez came out whipping shots in round 10. A chopping right on the ear sent Kambosos to the floor. Kambosos got up on wobbly legs. Lopez tried to end things, but the gutsy Kambosos hung in and lasted the round.
Kambosos landed the first blow in round 11. Lopez cracked Kambosos with a combination. Lopez was bleeding – courtesy of a right hand from Kambosos. He was outworking Lopez. He scored with a right.
Lopez got off first early in round 12. Kambosos, as he had done the entire fight, fought back hard. Lopez landed a hard right but ate two blows in return. Kambosos went to the body and stabbed Lopez with more scoring shots. He was a man on a mission.
“I believed in myself, said Kambosos. “I backed it up. All respect to him.”
“Everyone knows I won this fight,” Lopez said as his hometown fans booed him.
