Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr. Preview November 27th, 2021
Although unbeaten Gerorge Kambosos Jr of Australia is the mandatory IBF challenger only, after months of delays he’ll finally have a chance to take home the WBA Super World, WBO, and Ring Magazine World Lightweight Belts home too this Saturday, Nov. 27th if he manages to beat undefeated champion Teofimo Lopez of Brooklyn, New York. Lopez won the WBA and WBO titles in his last outing when he beat a rather tame-looking Vasyl Lomachenko by a somewhat controversial unanimous decision in October of last year. Kambosos Jr earned the title shot by beating Lee Selby via a split decision on Halloween, 2020. The 12-rounder from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden can be seen live in most nations on DAZN.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free
Lopez vs Kambosos Jr. Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- George Kambosos Jr. +550
- Teofimo Lopez -900
My Pick
The 24-year-old Lopez climbs into the ring with a perfect mark of 16-0 with 12 Kos and is now a multiple world title holder after previously winning the NABF, WBC Continental Americas, USBA, and NABA-USA Lightweight Belts. He’s regarded as one of the sport’s top prospects due to his whirlwind, non-stop style and power but struggled against Masayoshi Nakatani in July 2019 as well as against Lomachenko in the last half of their fight.
Lopez owns better-than-average power with a current knockout ratio of 75 per cent but isn’t really a one-punch KO artist even though he nailed Richard Commey perfectly in the second round of their December, 2019 bout to win the IBF crown. Lopez usually stops opponents with the sheer volume of punches he throws rather than with just one shot.
He stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a wingspan of 68.5 inches. Lopez made his pro debut in November, 2016 and has fought 72 rounds since. He enjoyed a fine amateur career and fought for Honduras at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he lost in the first round of competition. He’s a former national Golden Gloves Champion and has had no problem adapting to pro boxing.
Lopez likes to overwhelm his opponents with as many punches as possible and so far has beaten the likes of Lomachenko, Commey, Nakatani, Edis Tatli, Diego Magdaleno, Mason Menard, William Silva, Vitor Jones, Juan Pablo Sanchez and Francisco Medel.
As for Kambosos Jr, he turned 28 years old in June and also owns a perfect record as he’s 19-0 with 10 Kos. The native of Sydney turned pro back in 2013 and has 118 rounds of experience under his belt. He stands just over 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 68-inch reach which gives him a 1.5-inch height advantage over Lopez with basically the same reach.
Kambosos reportedly won 85 of his 100 amateur bouts and since turning pro has won the IBF Pan Pacific Lightweight Title along with the Australian NSW, Australian, WBA-PABA, and WBA Oceania Lightweight Belts. He has average power with a current knockout ratio of 52.6 per cent but is known for being aggressive in the ring and isn’t afraid to let his hands go.
He turned pro at the age of 19 but hasn’t faced may legitimate contenders other than Selby and mickey Bey. His other wins have been against the likes of Brandon Ogilvie, Qamil Balla, Krai Setthaphon, Jose Forero, Rey Perez and Richard Pena. In fact, the best opponent he’s shared the ring with would be Manny Pacquiao, when he spars with him.
Prediction…
Lopez got off to a quick start against Lomachenko last year as the former champion was unwilling to throw a punch for some reason. However, when Lomachenko decided to fight back around the seventh round the tide began to turn as Lopez had some difficulty with the pressure. He needs to be prepared for a more willing opponent this weekend as Kambosos knows he needs to throw leather in volume to have a chance of winning. And if Kambosos does go down he’ll go down fighting. Lopez can and will be beaten but I don’t think Kambosos will be the boxer to pull it off. I believe Lopez will retain the titles for the time being but will be pushed hard to do so.
Lopez has the edge in power and overall boxing skills.
Play Lopez -900 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
George Kambosos Jr. betting • Teofimo Lopez betting