Teofimo Lopez recently lost to George Kambosos Jr. It was regarded as a massive upset as Teofimo was a big favourite heading into the fight. Most boxing pundits regarded Lopez’s style as too slick for Kambosos to counter. Even the great Vasiliy Lomachenko could not figure out the 24-year old before it was too late. Hence, the Kambosos fight was regarded as just a mandatory title defence.
However, to everyone’s shock, Teofimo Lopez abandoned his slick boxing style and started to brawl with George. A major part of Teo’s game is his foot movement and the ability to slip in and out. His ability to set traps is unparalleled in the lower weight classes.
But that was not the method the Brooklyn native adapted for the fight. As soon as he stepped into the ring, he started fighting like a bat out of hell. Both fighters were tagged and hurt each other multiple times. Ultimately, it was George Kambosos Jr. who got his hands raised. From the fans to the analysts, everybody asked the question, “what went wrong?” It seems as if we now have an answer.
‘Teofimo Lopez could have died’
According to a report from ESPN, two doctors confirmed that the fighter should not have been in the ring on November 27. After the fight, Teofimo Lopez was diagnosed with ‘pneumomediastinum’. The abnormality occurs when air leaks from the windpipe and gets stuck in the mediastinum. The mediastinum is the area between the two lungs.
In Teo’s case, “extensive air in the retropharyngeal space” said the doctor after his post-fight assessment. Dr Linda Dahl (otolaryngologist) summarised the situation and said, “He could have died, for sure,” she further added, “How he breathed, I can’t even explain to you. It’s like somebody tied a 300-pound set of weights around his chest … like his neck and chest were in a vice. That’s how he fought”
Apparently, Teofimo Lopez should not have been medically cleared to fight George Kambosos because he had an acute respiratory illness that could’ve been lethal. The doctors interviewed for this article seem genuinely alarmed.
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) December 4, 2021
From ESPN: https://t.co/oaVErPDgm8 pic.twitter.com/ELHQHHf2dR
The fight was scheduled to take place earlier in the year. But unfortunately, after 9 delays, the company backed out and Eddie Hearn’s Match Room Boxing put the fight on DAZN. Teofimo Lopez cited that as a reason why he kept the condition hidden from his management.
“I thought it was just my asthma, I fought through asthma before. If I told everybody, they would’ve cancelled the fight. But I chose not to, because of the amount of pressure I was under. I didn’t want to hear people say, ‘Oh, another postponement.'” said the former lightweight titleholder.
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