Teofimo Lopez beats Pedro Campa in junior welterweight boxing match in Vegas
T.eofimo Lopez made a triumphant return to the ring last weekend after defeating Pedro Campa in Round 7 at the Resorts World Event Center.
Lopez debuted as a 140-pound junior welterweight in his first fight since suffering the only loss of his career.
Shortly after putting Campa on the canvas at the start of the seventh, Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) obliterated his vanquished opponent with a flurry of punches before referee Tony Weeks scored at the 2:14 mark. urged to stop fighting.
“Thank you for this. I’m back,” Lopez said.
Kampa fell to 34-2-1.
Lopez, 25, looked like a promising young fighter who captivated the world when he defeated Vasily Lomachenko to win the unified lightweight title in 2020.
Campa, who relies on a straightforward approach and hard-hitting punches, struggled to land many as Lopez was active throughout the fight and showed impeccable defense.
On offense, Lopez was much faster and crisper with his punches, landing 52% of his power punches, according to CompuBox.
Of his performance, Lopez said, “I had to work a bit more on some things, but overall it was good. It’s been a long time. I had a lot on my mind. I almost died in a fight so I had to put it away because it weighed heavily on my mind.
“I’m not afraid to go there and die, but the last thing I want is for my son not to have a father.”
It was just nine months ago that Lopez lost to big favorite George Kambosos Jr. by split decision.
But his November 27 loss to Kambosos in New York City was overshadowed by news that he was battling a condition called pneumomediastinum and had widespread air in his retropharyngeal space, ESPN reported. Thinner. He suffers the first defeat in his life.
“It weighed heavily on my mind, but somehow, somehow, I had to get that guy out,” said the Brooklyn fighter.
Through the seventh, Lopez was the aggressor, keeping the chase, absorbing shots and consistently rubbing Campa’s face while shaking off obvious ring rust.
Lopez appeared to step back a bit in the fourth and fifth, perhaps scoring rounds while maintaining his energy, but returned to an aggressive role, landing several combinations in the sixth.
“Little by little the punches will pile up and eventually hurt them,” Lopez said. “We may not be able to do it right away, but we will kick them out eventually.
“This is a blessing, man. Time never comes back.”
Earlier, Xander Zayas (14-0, 10 KO) stopped Elias Espadas (22-5) in the fifth round with a devastating right hook to the chin to win the vacant WBO NABO junior middleweight title. provided.
The 19-year-old from Puerto Rico dominated from the start, scoring a knockdown in the first round and using sharp combinations to wear down the Espada in the next three rounds before fighting with 2:36 left in the fifth round. finished.
Throwing 60 punches per pound, Zayas landed 42% of his power punches and landed 27 of his 86 punches to the body, according to CompuBox. MDT/AP
