By Sean Jones: George Kambosos Jr is calling Teofimo Lopez Jr a six-round fighter in reacting to his dad Teofimo Sr predicting a third-round knockout in their still-to-be-announced fight on Triller pay-per-view.
The working theory boxing fans have on why Teofimo is a “six-round fighter” is because he’s a 140-pounder who melts down to 135 to fight against smaller guys.
Is Teofimo a ‘weight bully?‘
If Teofimo is continually draining himself to fight out of his natural division, he’s obviously trying to take advantage of his size to beat his smaller foes. Hence, the ‘Weight bully’ monicker.
The downside of being a weight bully is that those fighters tend to gas out quickly within four to six rounds, which we saw with Teofimo against Lomachenko.
Teofimo Sr was lighting in the Australian Kambosos Jr (19-0, 10 KOs) recently, saying he hadn’t even bothered doing any research on him because he sees him as a copy of the slugger Diego Magdaleno, a fighter that Teo knocked out in 2019.
The Teofimo-Kambosos Jr fight date is possible for June 5th at the Marlins Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Kambosos Jr is calling Teo a six-round fighter because he ran out of gas against the injured one-armed Vasily Lomachenko last October.
After the 23-year-old Teofimo gassed out after the sixth, Lomachenko took over the fight, dominating rounds 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
In the 12th, Teofimo emptied what was left of his gas tank in going all out to ensure that he got the win.
He didn’t need to, though, as the set of judges that worked the fight gave him a wide victory. They scored it as follows:
- 116-112
- 119-110 – WOW!
- 117-111
Kambosos slams stamina-plagued Teofimo
“To be honest, we saw the Lomachenko fight. Your son is pretty much a six-round fighter. And luckily, Lomachenko didn’t turn it up, but I’m focused on what I gotta do,” said Kambosos Jr.
“I’ll focus on what I got to do and how I’m going to win this fight. You focus on your game plan. If you think it’s three rounds, no problem.
“Lomachenko hardly threw punches for six rounds. We all know he has a shoulder injury. The hunger wasn’t there. He was out of the ring for a long time. I’ve been active.
“I’ve been traveling all over the world. I love that the fight is in America. I thrive on being the underdog. I’m hungry, I’m focused, and I’ve got tunnel vision.
“I’m so strong at the moment. Lomachenko is a great fighter, but the hunger is different, the size is different, the speed is different. It’s a whole different ballgame,” Kambosos Jr said.
Well, Sean Jones agrees with Kambosos Jr about his view of Teofimo being a ‘six-round fighter, but that’s pretty much what he is.
The thing is, if Teofimo stays at 135 much longer, it’s only getting worse for him in terms of making weight and being drained. As a result, Teofimo may soon become a four-round, three-round fighter and eventually a two-round fighter.
The only way for Teofimo to avoid suffering that fate is for him to fight in the weight class that his body is suited for.
Teofimo Sr’s three-round prediction will backfire
“Careful what you say because it can come back to bite you in the a**,” said Kambosos about Teofimo Sr’s three-round knockout prediction.
“I’m not like these other fighters. They won’t tell you to your face. I know what I got to do. If they’re only focusing on three rounds, prepare for three rounds, no problem. I’ll be preparing for 12,” said Kambosos.
George shouldn’t get too worked up about Teofimo Sr’s three-round knockout prediction. That’s nothing.
He also views Teofimo as the best fighter in boxing and himself as the sport’s best trainer. Teofimo Sr’s recent comparison of his son to Muhammad Ali choosing not to be drafted was entirely overboard.
George envisions all 4 titles around his waist
Kambosos Jr is failing to understand that he’s the B-side, and he’ll be fighting Teofimo in the U.S. As we saw with the set of wacky scores turned in for the Teofimo vs. Lomachenko fight, it’s not going to be easy for Kambosos to win a decision.
“I believe it can,” said Kambosos Jr when asked if hunger can overcome talent.
“I got fantastic skills, and you saw my boxing IQ in my last fight with Lee Selby.
“The guy is known as being a fantastic boxer. I outboxed him. I wanted to on purpose to showcase another style of my fighting skills and my ring IQ.
“The hunger, not only how you train but how you prepare, is what will give me the edge. I’m hungry, man.
“I’m not Lomachenko, these old guys, and I’m 27. And I’m coming into my prime right now. I have that vision. And I know what I’m doing in this fight.
“I just see all the belts around my waist. When he fought Lomachenko, a lot of people doubted him. I’m in the same position. I saw a lot of holes in the Nakatani fight.
“In the Commey fight, he caught him with a good shot. In the Lomachenko fight, I saw many holes. I may stand and trade with him.
“Who has the harder shot,” said Kambosos when asked if he’ll wait until the second half of the fight to try and take out Teofimo.
