George Kambosos promised something that few boxing specialists gave credit to and that was to take the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Lightweight Championship, in addition to the IBF, WBO and WBC belts held by Teofimo Lopez.

New York’s Madison Square Garden was on fire on Saturday night and the Australian made good on his promise before the incredulous gaze of many of the spectators. 115-111, 113-114 and 115-112 were the scorecards that credited him as the new 135-pound monarch and allowed him to move into the elite of world boxing. 

Kambosos did not start with the utmost confidence and in the first round he was trying to decipher a Teofimo who came out aggressive and ready to retain his crowns. However, a straight right hand sent Lopez to the canvas and was a way of making Kambosos understand that he had enough to win.

That was evident in the change of attitude he had in the following rounds, in which he was not afraid to enter the exchange. Kambosos was at his best when he was going toe-to-toe with Lopez and that helped him win a lot of rounds in the fight.

He also showed what he was made of in the tenth round when a combination from Teofimo sent the Australian to the canvas. Despite Lopez going all out to try and finish him off, Kambosos was able to recover and survive the bad momentum to win the last two rounds of the fight and secure the split decision.

The 28-year-old remains undefeated in 20 fights, 10 of them by knockout, while Teofimo lost for the first time in his career and is now 16-1.