Boxing
Teofimo Lopez vs. George Kambosos Jr. fight must take place by October 17, rule IBF
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Despite not meeting in the ring, Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr have seen their title fight saga drag out as their long-awaited showdown is still no closer to being official. P
ostponed several times largely due to Lopez recovering from COVID-19, it appeared that the fight could end up in Australia but those plans have now been abandoned.
Triller, who won the purse bid, have been informed by the IBF, who control one of Lopez's multiple lightweight titles and are sanctioning this mandatory defence, that this bout must be staged by October 17 and that the contracts for the fight must be completed by August 24.
If that doesn’t happen then the rights to the contest will then be passed down to Matchroom Sport who were the second highest bidders.
“After considering the written submissions from [both] camps the IBF has ruled, the IBF will not default Triller on the Purse Bid at this time,” Daryl J. Peoples, president of the IBF informed representatives for both parties. “There is no IBF rule that governs the timeframe a bout must take place after a rescheduled bout.”
“The Lopez vs. Kambosos bout must take place on or before October 17, 2021. The Lopez vs. Kambosos bout must take place in a location and venue that does not require quarantine.”
The quarantine rule effectively scraps Triller's hopes of moving the show to Kambosos' native Australia, a decision the champion and his team were reported by several sources at the time as not liking.
The original planned June bout was set for the United States, and it appears likely that's exactly where the fight will ultimately take place — if it ever does.
