Triller founder Ryan Kavanaugh revealed that the company intends to push the Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos matchup back to October 17. The company also wants to move the contest to Sydney, Australia’s Bankwest Stadium. Sydney is Kambosos’ hometown.
The Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos showdown was all set for June 19, only to have Lopez test positive for the Covid virus four days before the fight. The next plan was to reschedule the fight for August 14. But Triller became concerned with Lopez’s ability to fight on this date when breathing problems from his Covid illness lingered.
David McWater is Teofimo’s Lopez manager. McWater says his fighter is prepared to fight on August 14. He also says Lopez has no plans on traveling to Australia for a fight against Kambosos.
McWater deems it unrealistic to expect Lopez to cut weight for a fight in another country while quarantined for two weeks. The manager referred to the mandatory 14-day quarantine awaiting all international travelers to Australia.
McWater says he does not foresee the IBF stripping Lopez of a title for not traveling to Australia for a fight. However, the manager says that both he and his fighter are willing to accept this potential consequence.
“He can fight Isaac Cruz for $70,000.” McWater referred to the IBF regulations that would cause Lopez and Cruz to fight for the vacant title if it is stripped from Lopez.
Triller has already lost millions of dollars with the Lopez-Kambosos fight postponement. The company feels that moving the fight to Australia will help to recoup some of these losses. Boxing events in the country routinely draw large crowds, and Kambosos is a big favorite of fight fans in the country.
The fight postponement also came at a great personal expense to George Kambosos and his wife. Kambosos spent nearly four months away from his family while preparing for the June 19 fight date. His wife is now entering the final trimester of pregnancy, and the couple already has two small children.
“We hope Lopez does the right thing,” Kavanaugh says. “We have set the fight for October in Australia.”