Kambosos Rejects Date Switch For Lopez Title Fight

It looks like we finally have plugged the plug in boxing’s worst soap opera as the fight between unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr.

Dan Rafael for World Boxing News (yes, THAT World Boxing News) laid out Tuesday evening that the attorney for lightweight contender George Kambosos on Tuesday wrote to the IBF requesting that it declare Triller Fight Club in default of its winning purse bid to take on Lopez.

The cliff notes of the fight were what I wrote yesterday: Triller overbid for the rights to fight back in January, only to be pushed back, rescheduled, and delayed for a myriad of reasons. The reasons ranging from not wanting to be in the same area as Floyd Mayweather taking on Logan Paul in an exhibition to Lopez catching COVID to now being forced by the sanctioning IBF body to have this fight by October 18.

#LopezKambosos implodes as Kambosos requests the IBF default Triller's winning purse bid for a slew of reasons. My @WorldBoxingNews story: https://t.co/3kVcD0ZYXl #boxing @loudibella @TeofimoLopez @georgekambosos @arielhelwani

— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) September 28, 2021

All of that becomes moot as Rafael in his story has the letter that Greg Smith, attorney for Kambosos and it stated the following:

“I write to clarify (Triller COO Thorsten) Meier’s correspondence from (Monday) and any rumors regarding an ‘agreement’ to move the lightweight title fight between Mr. Lopez and Mr. Kambosos to October 16, 2021, at the Barclays Center,” Smith wrote in his letter.

“Simply put, there is not, and has never been such an agreement. Mr. Kambosos does not agree to modify the Official Championship Bout Contract for Use After Purse Bid executed on September 5 and after that submitted to the IBF and the New York Athletic Commission.”

“For reasons explained below, Triller cannot perform the Contract and is in breach,” Smith wrote. “Mr. Kambosos respectfully requests that the IBF default Triller under Rule 10.F.2.

“As you are undoubtedly aware, on September 20 — without discussion with, or notice to, Mr. Kambosos — Triller head Ryan Kavanaugh appeared on (Ariel Helwani’s) The MMA Hour and announced ‘breaking news’ that Triller was ‘trying” to move the bout to the Barclays Center on October 16, 2021.

This letter gets even better.

“Following Mr. Lopez’s agreement to reschedule the bout, Triller provided a draft amendment to Mr. Kambosos that differed from the Lopez amendment in that it did not specify a location and venue for the rescheduled bout, but instead only that ‘the bout may take place on October 16, 2021, at a location in New York, New Jersey, California or Florida.’ The amendment also contained errors relating to dates and contained a misspelling of Mr. Kambosos’ name.”

What is Rule 10.F.2? It’s the rule under the “Failure of Promoter to Comply with Obligation.”  Per the IBF:

Failure to provide the above-listed information to the IBF or to schedule the bout within 90 days of the purse bid in accordance with this rule, will automatically cancel the bid and permit the President to recognize the next highest bidder. Subject to the discretion of the IBF, the defaulting bidder will be barred from participating in IBF purse bids for a period of at least six (6) months.

You can’t fight without both fighters, and Kambosos was still back home in Australia waiting to be flown over for this contest. The rules also note that the next highest bidder would have a stake in picking up the fight once Triller defaults on it and will forfeit their payment. In this instance, it would be to Matchroom Boxing.

Once notified by the IBF, Matchroom would have five days to decide whether to proceed with promotional rights. Should the company accept, the fight must take place no later than 90 days from being told. Matchroom stated before they got outbid that that they would have been interested in this fight. It would be interesting if they pick up the bill that Triller, once the smoke clears, had alligator arms for and was looking for an out.

They found it, only it will just cost them in default, it would forfeit the 20 percent deposit they gave the IBF gave after the purse bid $1,203,600. That money will be split 65-35 in favor of Lopez, with the other 35 going to Kambosos.

There seems to be a whole boatload of legal entanglement which has been the route Ryan Kavanaugh lately has been pushing. At least now with this fight out of the hands of Triller,we’ll get to at least see it and more importantly, avoid concerns about fighters not being compsenated.