Australian boxer George Kambosos Jr is the IBF, WBO, WBA and The Ring lightweight world champion, after stunning the previously undefeated Teofimo Lopez in an extraordinary upset.
In a split decision, the Sydney-born 28-year old claimed victory 115-111, 115-113, 113-14, despite starting as a 6-1 outsider, in front of a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd.
“I believed in myself, I backed myself. I’m not the king, I’m the emperor,” Kambosos said after his landmark victory.
“It’s my night tonight and it’s gunna be my night for a very long time. I’m the Emperor. I got myself back up, what a warrior.
“I’m the greatest Australian fighter in history.”
The win is the greatest in Australian boxing since at least Jeff Horn’s famous welterweight triumph over Manny Pacquiao in 2017.
A petulant Lopez was booed after the result came in, when the former champion claimed ‘I won tonight’.
“The referee raised my hand, I won tonight,” Lopez fumed.
“I ain’t no sore loser, I take my wins and I can take my losses,” Lopez fumed.
“At the end of the day, I’m a true champion… I don’t care what anybody says.
“I won this fight.”
Lopez had claimed in the lead-up to the fight he was keen on a first-round knockout, and made good on that promise with a series of wild swings in the opening moments.
However, it would be Kambosos who drew first blood. After weathering a series of body blows from Lopez, a vicious right hook floored the New Yorker, and proving a sign of things to come.
Lopez would quickly abandon his early tactic thereafter, opting for caution for much of the remaining rounds. However, with the home crowd beginning to turn in favour of the Australian, Kambosos remained in front in the eyes of many, finishing the fourth round with another strong punch on Lopez, who was only saved by the bell.
It took until the eighth round for Lopez to begin clawing his way back, courtesy of two late hits to the head. With the Australian appearing to be running out of steam, the American had all the momentum heading into the final rounds. The tenth was more of the same, two more head hits on Kambosos leaving him staggered.
However, Kambosos would then rally, taking advantage of a cut opening up above Lopez’s left eye with a pair of jabs to leave the American the worse for wear. By the time the twelfth round ended, it was clear which fighter had taken more damage; and the results would soon back that up.
Tributes for Kambosos were led by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, while fellow Australian UFC fighter Alex Volkanovski among others delighted by the result.
The Phantom Commissioner
Roar Rookie
A Kambosos v Lomachenko fight in Australia would be the biggest boxing match as far as international reach this country has ever seen. Lomachenko has a fight in December I believe, he wins that it's on the cards
Simoc
Roar Rookie
After checking my facts I see Lopez beat Vasily Lomachenko, to get the title. Lomachenko was/is a great boxer and Lopez pretty much outboxed him especially at the end. So I see now why Kambosos calls himself the Emperor. That is certainly a great win. Congratulations to George.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Kostya defended his tittle 5 times before Vince Phillips defeated him. Then went 8 years undefeated. That right there will take some catching. I am about to get on the Kambosos fan train but still a long way before he's in Kostya's class. We can start comparing the two once he's defended his tittles 5 times I think.
Simoc
Roar Rookie
So you probably haven't heard of a guy called Floyd Mayweather, the best boxer I've seen. He chooses to beat up no-hopers like UFC fighters for $350m and a You Tube guy called Paul for heaps. They just want to get in the ring with him. Its an entertainment business. I've seen Lopez fight several times before but don't generally watch lightweights. Winning in the USA and/or the UK is making it in the big smoke. The Australian boxing organisation has been pretty average forever. They score about one big bout a decade and Pacquaoi was years past his best when fighting Horn. Some of Danny Greens opponents only just manged to climb into the ring. So any publicity is deemed to be good.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
An Irish MMA fighter fighting an American boxer has nothing to do with the popularity and commerciality of boxing in Australia. In Australian boxing, the biggest crowd pullers are retired footballers, and most of the viewers they pull are from outside the existing boxing fan base. It’s just not a big money sport in this country. Justis Huni had a day job before he fought Gallen. Jeff Horn had already fought 14 of his 24 professional fights before he was able to box full time.
Sam
Guest
Boxing is an individual sport with no organised tournaments like golf and tennis have. It's up to each boxer to organise their own fights and promote their own careers
Davico
Roar Pro
How much do top MMA fighters get compared to top boxers? The biggest pull in the sport had to have a boxing match to get his biggest payday!
Davico
Roar Pro
Hahah. Oh you are being serious?
matth
Roar Guru
If Gallen wasn't doing it, then maybe the money wouldn't have been there at all.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
They aren’t pushing it because boxing isn’t popular in Australia. We are a small market, so the money and sponsorship isn’t there like it is for other sports. There also isn’t much government support because it is a ridiculously dangerous sport that gives people brain damage. It’s popularity is being steadily eclipsed by mixed martial arts which is safer and equally entertaining. So it isn’t popular in the community, and is gradually losing its fan base. And that’s not going to change. Which is a bit of a shame, because I enjoy watching it. And they aren’t ripping anyone off. Literally no one pays money believing that Paul Gallen is going to put on a champion display of boxing. They are paying to hopefully watch him get punched in the face until he loses consciousness. The diagram of Australian boxing is not a pie chart with Paul Gallen taking an unfairly large slice. It is a Venn Diagram with a big circle representing Paul Gallen’s fan/hater base and a small diagram representing boxing fans. There is only a small overlap. The vast majority of any money that is spent on a Gallen fight comes from Paul Gallen’s base, not boxing’s.
Davico
Roar Pro
Gallen stated that he would not take the fight post Olympics as he knew if Huni won a medal he would have to take less money and Huni would have been the bigger draw! Gallen was only looking after his own bank balance.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
We shouldn’t judge someone too harshly for the things they say immediately after getting their head punched for 12 rounds. I mean, both these guys’ brains were likely bleeding when they said what they said after this fight.
Davico
Roar Pro
Do you not see that is the problem? Nobody in VIC, SA or WA cares a lick about Gallen, and TT is on PPV because of his old man, as much as he hates it. His brother will be better than him anyway!! Why are the networks not pushing and promoting boxers who are proving themselves on the world stage? The UK audience knows more about GK and the Maloney brothers than Australians. That is because the UK sports channels actually promote and show real boxers. Foxtel and Main Event don't give a flying about boxing, they are just interested in ripping of bogans of their hard earned.
Sam
Guest
Name even a single PPV boxing event involving any Australian not named Tszyu or Gallen in the past 18 months. Gallen is taking money away from nobody and is actually helping unknown fighters boost their profiles.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
They were never going to spend any money on watching anyone but Gallen. He brings in people that were never going to pay money to watch a boxing match. The fact that Huni needed to do it has literally nothing to do with Gallen.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
He was only a chance. If he failed, he’d still be a nobody. He still had to fight several fights to qualify for a crack at a gold medal. And he was just as likely to get injured in any of those as he was in a fight against Gallen.
Sam
Guest
Considering Huni didn't even make the final of the 2019 world championships I find it hard to believe he was a big chance of Olympic gold 12 months later, I think you've been fooled by Dean Lonergan talking up his client
Davico
Roar Pro
None of that disputes the point I was making. And you think beating Gallen would get him more attention than winning a Gold Medal? It was as much Huni's fault as anyones going into a fight with an injured hand, but the fact he felt he needed to do it is the problem I have.
Davico
Roar Pro
Yep my bad on that. GK will need to defend a couple of times to be classed on KT's level. I would have Jeff F ahead of him as well at the moment. As far as Australian boxing shocks, I would have it on the Harding and Lionel Rose levels.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
The people who pay to watch Gallen aren’t boxing fans. They are football fans and people whose attention has been drawn to the fight by the star power that Gallen has and that no Australian boxer has. 99% of people who know who Justis Huni is only know of him because he fought Gallen. The number of people who know of him now and will pay attention to his next fight is probably at least twenty times greater than it was before that fight, and way, way greater than if he had broken his hand in a qualifying fight at the olympics.