With Teofimo Lopez insisting he IS retired – not that he is going to retire, that he IS retired – the one and only man who managed to defeat Lopez is angry at the way his victory over Teofimo, from November of 2021, is still being reported by many as a win that carries with it one big asterisk, the attachment being the fact that Lopez entered the ring with a “life threatening” ailment.
It was reported after Kambosos’ split decision win that Lopez was diagnosed with “pneumomediastinum,” this a condition that leaves a person with air surrounding the chest wall, heart and neck. A doctor who spoke with ESPN.com after Kambosos’ win said that Lopez was “lucky to be alive,” that “if he was hit in the neck or the chest – a certain way, in a certain place – he could have developed a collapsed lung.”
And just yesterday, when announcing his retirement in speaking with Max Kellerman, Lopez’ serious, indeed “life threatening” condition was again spoken about as a major reason for Teo’s loss to the Australian warrior. Well, Kambosos is not buying it. Kambosos has in fact laid into Kellerman for what he calls “real poor journalism.”
Kambosos is adamant he beat Lopez fair and square and that Lopez – and Kellerman – should accept this.
“Listen to this shit. Still going on with the excuses! Real poor journalism @maxkellerman. Life threatening, you ever seen any proof, how about the screaming at the top of his lungs 2 hours before our fight or the backflip after. Lies trying [to] protect that L! Take it like a man,” Kambosos wrote on social media, with a clip of Lopez talking with Kellerman on ESPN attached.
Listen to this shit 😂 still going on with the excuses! Real poor journalism @maxkellerman Life threatening 😂 you ever seen any proof, how about the screaming to the top of his lungs 2 hrs before our fight or the backflip after it. Lies trying protect that L! Take it like a man https://t.co/VKaQ7hOwiX pic.twitter.com/HPHj6xBebI
— George "Ferocious" Kambosos Jr (@georgekambosos) June 12, 2023
So, was too much made of Lopez’ condition to be able to fight, or to not be able to fight, going into, and during the Kambosos fight? Or is Kambosos guilty of being too hard on the man he defeated? The best way to sort it out would be for the two men to fight a rematch, yet we are told, firmly, that Lopez has made up his mind, he is done, he has retired from the sport. Of course, as Kellerman told Lopez, nobody will believe he has retired, not at age 25, this when at his peak, with so many big and lucrative fights out there for him, with Lopez having looked so great in beating Josh Taylor on Saturday night.
But maybe Lopez will prove to be one of the rare ones (the very, very rare ones) who will be remembered for retiring at the very peak of their game, with a to hell with the money on offer attitude? Maybe.
Kambosos says Lopez should “take his loss like a man,” while Kellerman and others say Lopez showed immense heart in being able to make it through those 12 rounds in November of 2021.
What do YOU guys think?