Aussie lightweight George Kambosos Jr. does not believe a full recovery is in the cards for Teofimo Lopez Jr., due to the latter’s pre-existing health conditions and the wily nature of the novel coronavirus.  

The two were set to face each other in a unification bout on June 19 at the LoanDepot Park in Miami that would have seen Lopez defend his WBO, WBA, and IBF lightweight titles. But four days before the fight, Lopez tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus, leaving Triller, the promoter and streaming service, no choice but scrap the entire card. The fight is reportedly taking place on Sept. 11., although there have been reports that it may be postponed again as the two sides are arguing over the date and location.

As frustrated as Kambosos (19-0, 10 KOs) has been with the latest postponement – he flew his pregnant wife over from Australia to attend the fight on June 19 – he believes he will have the upper hand from a physical standpoint when they finally swap punches. 

“Everyday I’m getting better and better,” Kambosos told FightHype.com. “The thing with [Lopez], he’s got Covid. He’s an asthmatic as well. So he ain’t gonna get any better. He’s going to get worse. He’s in a worse situation. I’m in a great situation. No matter what, it doesn’t matter if the fight takes three months or four months, or a year, I’ll be ready.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with moderate-to-severe asthma are more likely to be hospitalized if they catch Covid-19. On that logic, Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs), a lifelong sufferer from asthma, could be at risk of developing other pulmonary complications and long-term symptoms, potential conditions to which Kambosos was alluding. 

Kambosos, however, batted away the rumor that Lopez did not actually contract the virus. Of course, that's not to say that he isn't still irked that Lopez came down with it in the first place.   

“It is what it is,” said Kambosos. “He got it. There are a lot of theories and a lot of people talking out of their a--, but he did get it. Now, him getting it is very immature [in terms of his] responsibility as an elite athlete. That’s what frustrates me.”