Teofimo Lopez made a triumphant return to the ring on Saturday, stopping Pedro Campa in the seventh round at Resorts World Events Center.
Lopez made his debut as a 140 pound junior welterweight (63.5kg) in his first fight since the only loss of his career.
Moments after putting Campa on the canvas at the start of the seventh, Lopez (17-1, 13 knockouts) obliterated his outmatched opponent with a flurry of punches, prompting referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight at the 2 minutes, 14 second mark.
Photo: AFP
“I am grateful for this, I have returned,” Lopez said.
Campa dropped to 34-2-1.
The 25-year-old Lopez looked much more like the promising young fighter who captivated the world when he beat Vasily Lomachenko to claim the unified lightweight championship in 2020.
Campa, who relies on a straight-forward approach and hard-firing punches, struggled to land much, as Lopez remained active throughout the fight and displayed impeccable defense.
On the attack, Lopez was much faster and crisper with his punches, landing 52 percent of his power punches, per CompuBox.
“I got to work a little bit more on some things, but overall it was good,” Lopez said of his performance. “It’s been a while. There was a lot on my mind. I nearly almost died [in] the last fight, so that was weighing on my mind.”
“Going in there, I’m not afraid to die, but the last thing I want to do is not have my son have a father,” he added.
It was only nine months ago that Lopez hit a career low when he lost as a huge favorite to George Kambosos Jr by split decision.
However, the loss to Kambosos in New York City was later overshadowed by the news that he fought with a condition called pneumomediastinum and had extensive air in the retropharyngeal space, per a report by ESPN, something he did not learn about until after the loss.
Leading up to the seventh, Lopez was the aggressor, staying in pursuit and consistently peppering Campa’s face, while absorbing shots and shaking off apparent ring rust.
“Little by little those punches are gonna add up and eventually it’s gonna hurt them,” Lopez said. “It may not do it right away, but in due time it’ll get them out.”
“This is a blessing, man. Time is something we don’t get back,” he added.
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