By Jack Tiernan: Trainer Robert Garcia says George Kambosos Jr. is NOT the best lightweight in the division despite dethroning undisputed champion Teofimo Lopez last weekend in New York.
Robert says Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) will lose to these fighters:
- Ryan Garcia
- Vasily Lomachenko
- Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis
- Devin Haney
Perhaps the primary reason why Kambosos beat Teofimo (16-1, 12 KOs) is that Teo didn’t have the gas tank to fight hard for more than one round without gassing out.
Teofimo was utterly exhausted after the first round, and he didn’t get his second wind until the eighth.
In the tenth, Teofimo gassed out again trying to score a knockout, and from that point on, he had nothing left for the 11th and 12th rounds.
Consequently, you can argue that the ONLY reason Kambosos beat Teofimo is that he didn’t have the cardio needed to beat the Australian in a fast-paced fight.
Tank, Ryan, Loma & Haney beat Kambosos
“It was an unbelievable fight, and both went in there to put in a great fight, but yes, Kambosos was one of those guys that nobody expected to win,” said Robert Garcia to ESNEWS in reacting to Teofimo Lopez’s loss to George Kambosos Jr.
“Teofimo looked sensational when he became champion against Richard Commey and knocked him out in the first round. He [Teofimo] right away made himself look like a superstar.
“He then right away goes and beats Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. So everybody was putting Teofimo as the best lightweight out there and seeing Teofimo as someone that can beat any of those guys.
“They never even thought that Kambosos had a chance. Now that Kambosos beat Teofimo, I think it was because Teofimo fought the wrong fight. His mind was only for a first round knockout, and he goes out swinging only hard punches trying to knock him out.
“Throughout the fight, his dad was pushing him to ‘Finish him,’ like pushing him for the knockout.
“So, I think they [Team Teofimo] fought the wrong fight, they made mistakes, Teofimo made a lot of mistakes in the fight, and Kambosos took advantage of it and pulled out the win.
“It’s not because Kambosos is better, and it’s because Teofimo fought the wrong fight and was looking for one punch, and Kambosos took advantage of it and pulled it off. I think that’s what everyone else sees, and everyone else sees, and I think I probably agree.
“I think Devin Haney, even Ryan Garcia, Tank, Loma, I think all those guys could beat Kambosos. No, I’m not hating, and I’m very happy for Kambosos,” said Robert.
It’s challenging to imagine Ryan Garcia defeating Kambosos, as he looked poor against Carlos Morales, who is the only formidable opponent he’s faced in his career. But as far as Haney, Lomachenko, and Tank Davis are concerned, they would perhaps be a bridge too far for Kambosos.
Unlike Teofimo, those fighters aren’t going to gas out after the first round and be at the mercy of Kambosos.
Robert says Kambosos isn’t the best lightweight
“With Teofimo, people were saying that the layoff may have affected him and all those dates [of the fight] changing,” Garcia said. “I think it was eight times for the dates and the training.
“Well, so is Kambosos; he was in the same situation, so it’s not like Teofimo was the only one waiting for those dates and getting cancellations and everything. Kambosos was having the same problems, so that cannot be an excuse.
“I think Kambosos had the biggest win of his career, so he’s going to enjoy it, but I don’t think he’s the best lightweight out there for beating Teofimo. It was a great win, but it doesn’t put him as the best lightweight to me,” said Robert.
Kambosos isn’t the best lightweight in the division, regardless of what he did to Teofimo.
Kambosos would likely lose to six or even as much as eight of the top lightweights in the division, and he will probably will eventually before his career is over.
This writer believes Kambosos loses to ALL of these fighters:
- Vasily Lomachenko
- Richard Commey
- Gervonta Davis
- Devin Haney
- Michel Rivera
- Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
- Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz
- Jorge Linares
- Yuriorkis Gamboa
- Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz Jr.
- William Zepeda
George could make $5 million for Haney fight
“I think he’ll [Kambosos] will make four or five million dollars in a fight against Ryan [Garcia] or against Haney,” Garcia said. “He put himself in that position, and that’s great for him and great for his family. He’s never gotten that kind of money.
“Teofimo was out for so long, and he made 1.2 [million] in his last fight against Lomachenko. Kambosos didn’t make that kind of money in his previous fight, and I’d say that he probably didn’t make even close to a hundred thousand.
“He didn’t make the kind of money that Teofimo made. He [Kambosos] just had a perfect night, he fought a great fight, and he won a decision,” said Robert.
$5 million is a reasonable estimate on what Kambosos can make fighting WBC lightweight champion Haney, but he might be able to make more than that against Gervonta Davis.
The only problem with Tank is his management at Mayweather Promotions, and PBC are exclusively matching him against in-house guys, so they probably won’t consider taking a fight with an outside fighter like Kambosos.
Even though Tank Davis would have an excellent chance of beating Kambosos, PBC and Mayweather Promotions likely won’t even consider making the fight due to him not signing with them.
If Kambosos and his management had faith in him to keep winning, it would be in his best interest to take a couple of voluntary title defenses before facing Haney because it would build his name in the U.S.
Rushing straight into a fight with Haney would be premature because they need to marinate the match-up.
Teofimo made mistakes
“It was Teofimo that made those mistakes,” said Robert. “Teofimo went out looking for a knockout; he’d promised a first round knockout, and he wanted to deliver, and he made a lot of mistakes.
“Then throughout the fight, he was still looking for a knockout, and he almost had it [in round ten], but it wasn’t enough. Kambosos had a great night and pulled off the win.
“Haney still has a very dangerous fight against JoJo Diaz, so he shouldn’t talk ahead. I don’t think it’s good even for Kambosos. He was just in a tough f**** fight.
“Personally, myself, I thought Teofimo would knock him out. I don’t know. I’m sure this was one of those fights where this guy [Kambosos] trained like never before and had one thing in his mind only, and that was to win.
“He went out there and pulled it off,” Robert continued. “It was one of those fights where you can’t be mad at either of them.
“They both fought a great fight, but Kambosos took the win and showed the boxing world and not only the boxing world but the whole world that when you want to do something, and you put everything into it, everything is possible,” said Robert.
Teofimo didn’t possess the gas tank to follow the risky game plan that his father Lopez Sr. had designed for him. He wanted Teofimo to score a first round knockout, which would have been a great game plan if he had excellent stamina.
But when Teo failed to get Kambosos out of there right away, he faded quickly and had very little left after the first two rounds.