After months of waiting, we finally get Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos, Jr. facing off for the lightweight championship of the world. WBC champ Devin Haney will have something to say about the winner, but Lopez is the IBF, WBA, WBO, and The Ring champion, and Kambosos is effectively challenging the king of the 135-pound division.
This is a fight long in the making. Various issues have delayed it and in the end are costing both fights money compared to what they originally expected. Triller originally won a purse bid of just over $6 million to stage the fight on June 5th at the Miami Marlins baseball stadium. Scheduling issues and COVID-19 delayed the fight, and then Triller was held in default of the contract. That cost them a $1.2 million deposit, which is being split between the two fighters. Matchroom took over the fight and we finally are getting it on Saturday, November 26.
Matchroom came in second in the purse bid at $3,506,000. Lopez was originally scheduled to earn $3,911,700, which was 65% of Triller’s bid, per ESPN’s Mike Coppinger. He will now earn $3,178,000, which includes $900,000 from Triller’s deposit. Kambosos was going to earn $2,106,300, but he will now get $1,527,100 — which includes $300,000 from Triller’s deposit.
The fight is airing on DAZN, with ring walks sometime in the 11 p.m. hour. Given the shenanigans over the past six months, we might wait until the fighters are walking to the ring before we assume the fight is finally happening.