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'There is a lot of hate!' - Former Teofimo Lopez rival weighs in on bad blood and rematch prospects
George Kambosos Jr admits there is "a lot of hate" between him and Teofimo Lopez, and believes that any chance of a rematch will be stopped by Arnold Barboza Jr on Friday.
The American defends his WBO light welterweight title as part of a stacked bill at The Ring's Fatal Fury: Time Square this weekend, alongside Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
Lopez is looking to further enshrine a reputation stained only by a single loss, against Kambosos by split decision in 2021 for the unified lightweight crown in New York City.
The Australian's upset win remains a point of contention between the two, and speaking to DAZN News editor Gareth Jones, the star admits there is no love lost between them.
"If we talk about former opponents and having a bit of respect for them, there is one guy [with] obviously no love there," he said. "There is a lot of hate between me and Teofimo.
"[He is] always talking, always carrying on. The recent video with all the guys [featuring Lopez and his fellow Times Square fighters] and they're laughing at him.
"[They are] thinking, what are you on about? [He is] lucky I wasn't there becase I would have got up and slapped him right in the face and woken him up, because who knows."
DAZNKambosos, who will fight Richardson Hitchins for the IBF light welterweight title on June 14, has been touted for a rematch with Lopez on multiple occasions before.
The star admits he would be interested in a second dance at a new weight, but also believes his rival will not come through his own battle with Barboza Jr in order to set it up.
"I know Barboza," he added. "I think it's a really good fight. [He] is an underdog, he's got a lot to prove. He's got that chip o that shoulder, so it's going to be a close fight.
"I'm going to lean towards Arnold in that fight. I think Lopez carries on, the way he disrespects a lot of people. Arnold's just chipping away, doing his thing."
If both Kambosos and Lopez emerge victorious though, the Sydney native firmly thinks a rematch would make sense, though not with a return to America.
"Why not?" he added. "Why not do that big fight? I'm at 140lbs now. I don't owe him anything, I don't owe him an opportunity to try and beat me. I beat his a—s that night.
"[It is] tough for him to live with it. One day, hopefully, he lives with it. But if it makes a lot of sense, I'm all for it. I want to fight the biggest fights, the best fights.
"I will not come back to New York. I already beat him there. We can do it in Saudi Arabia, we can do it in the UK, we can do it Australia. [but] we've got business first."
Watch two incredible fight nights this week only on DAZN
Fight fans are in for a treat this week, with two amazing fight exclusively DAZN PPV.
- May 2: Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero; Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez; Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr.
- May 3: Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull
Fight fans can purchase either these fight nights individually for $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; $24.99 ROW per PPV or take advantage of the DAZN Knockout Weekend Bundle where both fight cards can be purchased for $90 US; £34.99 UK and €34.99 Europe.
