Lopez vs Kambosos Now Delayed Even Further

Although the month of October will be dominated by the build up to Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder and the third part of their pugilistic trilogy, it was not meant to be the only high-profile fight to take place this month.

Because with four lightweight titles put on the line, the boxing world has been anticipating the meeting between Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos and although those have been waiting for quite a while, the wait was meant to be over in just a couple of weeks.

However, this planned fight is one that almost seems cursed in terms of preparations and with another delay now having taken place, there is a sense that this clash between two combatants may never materialise.

A feeling that resonates with many fight fans, as there has been complication after complication in the build up to this bout and with an initial date of June 2021 being pencilled in, it was then subsequently erased.

The first date for this often-rearranged fight was announced in April and with June 5th being earmarked, it would mean that the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and The Ring lightweight titles were set to be all up for grabs.

A litany of titles which would have undoubtedly generated a whole lot of interest within the sporting world and with a whole host of sportsbooks offering boxing lines for the biggest fights, this would have been no exception.

While with it being such a keenly anticipated bout, it would have offered an ideal opportunity for punters to place a wager or two and for those who like to pick multiple options on their betting slips, a parlay calculator would have been a rather useful tool to use.

Of course, for those who were hoping to pick a winner between Lopez and Kambosos nearly four months ago, such an opportunity was quickly removed, as was one of the original fights from the undercard.

One that originally would have placed Kevin McBride and Evander Holyfield in the same ring and although the two men can both claim to have got the better of Mike Tyson in the past, they are both largely fading forces in the boxing world.

To the point where some will argue as to whether Holyfield should still be competing at his age and although his clash with McBride was only ever going to be an exhibition, it is an image that does not sit easy within the boxing fraternity.

However, that potential duel was erased from the June 19th card, as a second attempt at scheduling Lopez vs Kambosos was attempted and although all signs looked good for just a two-week delay, those plans were also scuppered.

Because with Lopez testing positive for COVID-19, a two-month pause was then required to allow him back to full fighting fitness and with both men ready to go, an August date was then offered to the pair.

While they say the best laid plans have a habit of falling flat and that is exactly what happened in terms of August’s plan and with the Miami Marlins having a home game on the new date of August 14th, an alternative venue now needed to be found.

A venue that promoters Triller had hoped to be in Australia and although that made perfect sense for Kambosos, it was not ideal for the champion Lopez – if only because the nation was in lockdown at the time.

Something that would have proved a huge disadvantage to the travelling champion, as he would have been expected to cut weight while in quarantine and any usual training camp methods would not be able to be utilised.

Which meant, those involved had to try again and with Saudi Arabia also mooted as a venue, it was then announced that the champion would earn a huge home advantage, as the fight was subsequently scheduled for an October date in New York.

One that had the Hulu Theatre earmarked for October 4th and with it finally looking like proceedings would go ahead, there was even further change last month. Change that comes with another venue and date switch.

Come September, the date and venue now read as October 16th and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Come October, the date and venue now read as TBC and TBC, as Triller have pulled out of all promotion for the fight, and this is a decision that has seen them lose the best part of $10m.

Which leaves both men now scratching around for a promoter, a date, and a venue and the longer it drags on, the greater the risk that the sanctioning bodies have their say and either strip the champion or demand an alternative opponent.

As always money talks and any promoter worth their salt will not want to leave so much on the table. However, after so many setbacks in terms of previous planning, maybe this is a fight best left alone for good.