George Kambosos Jr. Calls Teofimo Lopez a ‘Dumbass,’ Demands Rematch on Neutral Turf, and Questions Lopez’s Desire to Settle the Score

George Kambosos Jr. says he’s open to fighting a rematch against Teofimo Lopez on neutral turf, but he’s not going to do it in his hometown of New York. Kambosos (21-3, 10 KOs) doesn’t think Teofimo wants a rematch after the way he beat him up in a 12-round split decision win in 2021.

(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)

Wyllie Threat

The former unified lightweight champion Kambosos Jr. is headlining this Saturday on DAZN against replacement opponent Jake Whyllie (16-1, 15 KOs) in a 12-round contest at the Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia. George picked Whyllie out, and it could be a tougher fight than many expect. Wyllie is 24, and he’s got youth and power on his side.

For a rematch to make sense, Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) needs to be victorious against Arnold B Barboza Jr. on May 2nd and then defeat IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in October. If he loses both of those fights, it would be pointless for Kambosos to face him again.

Kambosos is trying to turn his career around in his fight on Saturday. He was knocked out in the 11th round by Vasily Lomachenko last May in Perth, Australia, and he’s been inactive ever since. That was a punishing fight for Kambosos. The year off won’t have done him any good.

Neutral Turf?

“I’m looking forward to see what happens in that fight. He better not underestimate Barboza because he’s definitely coming to win that fight,” said George Kambosos Jr. to Fight Hub TV about Teofimo Lopez’s match against Arnold Barboza Jr. on May 2nd.

“Arnold linked up and said, ‘We should do a big fight eventually.’ So, yeah, we’ll see what happens down the road, but for now, I’m definitely rooting for him against Lopez because he’s a dumbass. At the pressor [with Barboza], he threw a slap. Go get yourself a nice suit. Can you afford a suit? What are you wearing?

“We’ll see what happens with that. I offered it to him straightaway in the ring,” said Kambosos about him offering Teofimo a rematch after beating him in 2021. “He was just looking at me like a dazed bird, obviously concussed and battered after I beat him up. He doesn’t want to do it. There’s still a lot of beef. We have to settle it somewhere.”

If a rematch does happen, it’ll have to occur in 2026 because Teofimo has two fights ahead of him on the Riyadh Season cards. The best thing Kambosos can do is to keep winning and looking good, and there’s an excellent chance Teofimo will turn his attention to him next year.