Kambosos, Fulton Start Holidays in Type: Weekend Afterthoughts

We acquired a fantastic fight wherever we predicted it.

We received a person in which most did not as perfectly.

Which is a successful weekend for fight admirers.

It turned out the wait was for well worth it for the lightweight championship showdown involving George Kambosos and Teofimo Lopez. Would issues have turned out in different ways had the fight happened nearer to Lopez’s upset of Vasyl Lomachenko?

There will never be solution to that issue. 

What we know for positive is that, with equally guys coming off a layoff of much more than a yr, it was Kambosos who emerged as the new lineal light-weight king with a far better video game system, better composure, and a gritty eleventh spherical performance that stands with the most effective 3 minutes any fighter has experienced in recent memory. 

Kambosos experienced it likely his way by substantially of the 1st eight rounds. Kambosos scored a knockdown in the initial and boxed his way to a guide. Lopez came on in the next two rounds, scoring a knockdown that had Kambosos’ legs wobbling for a big chunk of the tenth. For equally gentlemen, it was intestine look at time with two rounds to go.

Kambosos experienced depper reserves. He went out and commanded the eleventh. When Kambosos essential it most, according to CompuBox, he threw 67 punches to Lopez’s 32 and landed 15 to Lopez’s 7. Then, in the twelfth, Kambosos practically tripled Lopez in landed punches. Kambosos continued to outclass Lopez in the write-up-struggle job interview, heading house to Australia with one particular of the largest upsets of 2021. 

Futures: Kambosos waited a prolonged time for his shot. Now, he can sit back again and wait for the subsequent several months. Gervonta Davis, Vasyl Lomachenko, and Devin Haney will all be in action in December. Davis and Haney keep versions of WBA and WBC belts, respectively, in the course. All would be beautiful opponents for a champion certain to be seen as susceptible with a whole great deal of light-weight hardware out there to earn. Kambosos could make a job high payday in his upcoming combat in opposition to a single of them so all he has to do is enable the bidding start. 

The concern for the new lightweight king will be no matter if we saw the ideal of him on Saturday or whether or not Kambosos may well be the kind of battler who gets greater as winner. He was undoubtedly much better than most expected right before the Lopez earn and gained much better than any foreseeable future assumptions about his ceilings. 

Lopez is in a a great deal unique placement. Lopez was pink hot in late 2020 but he and his workforce look to have overplayed his hand powering the scenes. There was a probability Lopez was headed towards a shot at Jr. welterweight winner Josh Taylor but now he will want to get a fight or two to get in that line, assuming Lopez heads up the scale. Lopez’s corner provided small assistance on Saturday to a fighter who arrived out of the blocks seeking for a Tyson-Spinks instant and finished the evening uncomfortable himself on the microphone. 

Lopez is a gifted youthful fighter. He showed some of that youth on Saturday. It is not a sin and he has a great deal of time to regroup and resume the street to bigger stardom he appeared to be on before struggling his first defeat. Lopez, and the boxing entire world, will before long discover out no matter whether he was but a further gifted flash in the pan or has the chops to dig in and adhere all around. 

Kambosos wasn’t the only person to arise from the fireplace with new glory this weekend.      

Fulton Gets Halfway

In two appearances in 2021, Stephen Fulton has gone from rising contender to keeping half of the major belts, WBC and WBO, in the deep and largely youthful Jr. featherweight subject. There is so a lot talent at 122 suitable now that it was quick to ponder over the last yr or two if the items ended up coming alongside one another for the type of unforgettable operate in the division we had in the late 90s at the dawn of Boxing Right after Darkish.

Fulton-Figueroa was the sort of battle that would have suit in wonderful on those exhibits.

In a fight wherever it was really hard to decide a winner round by spherical, Fulton was just a small cleaner, a minimal precise, ample of the time to benefit the choice. Figueroa created it hell. The echo of some of the overall body photographs Figueroa landed boomed through the televised audio. It was the kind of battle that elevated both equally young men and the sport they signify. 

Figueroa’s interruption of Fulton in post-battle interviews was in the exact same tacky ballpark as what Lopez did following Kambosos, but Figueroa’s effort and hard work built his disappointment much more reasonable. Massive framed for the pounds course, Figueroa sounded ready to transfer up and could possibly not get a second crack at Fulton right until Fulton is completely ready to make his way to featherweight. Figueroa’s very first reduction arrived in a contest wherever he remaining it all in the ring.

It just wasn’t more than enough Saturday night. It won’t be the past prospect at glory.

Futures: Seeking forward, there are desirable fights and reasonable fights for Fulton. A showdown, at the very least straight away, with the other unified titlist at Jr. featherweight is almost certainly not sensible. Murodjon Akhmadaliev lately defended the WBA and IBF belts for the next time and has been battling on DAZN. Fulton is below the PBC umbrella of displays. Fulton-Akhmadaliev would give us a distinct king of the class. Probably they can get there at some point. 

Fulton has other choices that are equally desirable and reasonable. Previous titlist Daniel Roman, who Akhmadaliev conquer for his belts, has seemed very good considering that the loss and would be an exceptional opponent. So would Raeese Aleem, a winner on the Fulton-Figueroa undercard. With two title wins this yr, the two above undefeated foes, Fulton manufactured his scenario to at minimum be in the conversation for Fighter of the Calendar year. If Fulton retains winning, it will only be a issue of time before Fulton experiencing a Naoya Inoue coming up from bantamweight moves to the major of the most desired fights checklist for hardcore enthusiasts.

Figueroa going to featherweight would be a fantastic get in touch with. Below the PBC umbrella, Gary Russell is most likely to defend following against Rey Vargas. Leo Santa Cruz, the WBA featherweight titlist nonetheless in spite of not having had a battle in the course for going on 3 years, may be one thing that could occur if Santa Cruz is nonetheless an active fighter. Santa Cruz has been out for more than a 12 months given that a decline to Gervonta Davis. It would be an intriguing clash of young and aged.    

Cliff Rold is the Taking care of Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Study Firm, and a member of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of The us.