Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Saturday, August 14 at To Be Announced
- Odds: Teofimo Lopez (-900) vs. George Kambosos Jr. (+500) via Bovada
- Prediction: Lopez via knockout
Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr. was booked to face off in June in Miami, but that fight was postponed after Lopez tested positive for COVID-19. The matchup has been postponed until August 14. The location of the rescheduled contest has not been announced.
Lopez has not fought he scored a unanimous decision win over Vasyl Lomachenko in October. With that victory, Lopez moved to 16-0 in his career, retained his IBF lightweight title while adding the WBA (Super), WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles to his collection.
Kambosos is also unbeaten at 19-0. He is coming off an October split-decision triumph over Lee Selby. Kambosos is the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.
The Ring has Lopez ranked as its No. 1 lightweight. Kambosos is ranked at No. 9.
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LOPEZ vs. KAMBOSOS PREDICTION & PICK
Looking at the records of these two undefeated lightweights, two things stand out and that is the number of knockout wins and the quality of the opponent. Lopez has 12 knockout victories, which is two more than Kambosos, and Lopez, who has been winning titles since 2018, has faced stiffer competition.
Lopez is the more powerful and aggressive fighter of these two. He’s not as technical as his opponent, but he can box, something he showed in defeating Lomachenko in October and that makes him the rightful favorite in this contest.
If Lopez was fired up for the Lomachenko contest, expect him to be just as eager to face Kambosos. Now that he has a win over one of the top-10 pound-for-pound best, he has the opportunity to really make a name for himself at the age of 23.
Lopez is one of the best young boxers out there and he’s going to want to prove the Lomachenko victory was no fluke. I expect him to accomplish that with relative ease in this bout.
Prediction: Lopez at -900 via BetOnline.
BETTING VALUE WITH LOPEZ
If you’ve been following Lopez throughout his career, then you are not surprised to see him installed as the favorite in this matchup. He has been a heavy favorite in all of his recent bouts, except for the Lomachenko fight. In that contest, Lopez won as the +260 underdog. Don’t expect to see him at anywhere near that against Kambosos.
Lopez is a monster favorite and as such his value is not great. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a way Lopez loses, but the odds might be too high for a winning bet. I think Lopez scores the knockout and I think he does so in the middle rounds of the fight.
Pick: Lopez via knockout at -900 via SportsBetting.
WHO HAS THE EDGE?
Kambosos is the better technical boxer. He has good speed and good footwork, but he leaves himself open sometimes and is not as active as he should be. If Kambosos gives Lopez the opportunity to control this fight, Lopez will do so and he’ll use his power to dominate. I think that is exactly what is going to happen.
TALE OF THE TAPE: LOPEZ vs. KAMBOSOS
| Teofimo Lopez | Category | George Kambosos Jr. |
| 23 | Age | 28 |
| 16-0 | Record | 19-0 |
| 12 | Knockout Wins | 10 |
| 4 | Decision Wins | 9 |
| 0 | DQ | 0 |
| 5’8″ | Height | 5’9″ |
| 68″ | Reach | 68″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
For Lopez, a win here will open doors for him for bigger and more lucrative fights. He has to win this bout so he can begin to cash in on holding multiple titles. As for Kambosos, as a +500 underdog, a win over Lopez would be an enormous upset.
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