LAS VEGAS — Teofimo Lopez made a triumphant return to the ring, stopping Pedro Campa within the seventh spherical Saturday night time at Resorts World Occasions Middle.
Lopez made his debut as a 140-pound junior welterweight in his first struggle since struggling the one lack of his profession.
Moments after placing Campa on the canvas at the beginning of the seventh, Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) obliterated his outmatched opponent with a flurry of punches, prompting referee Tony Weeks to cease the struggle on the 2:14 mark.
“I'm grateful for this, I've returned,” Lopez mentioned.
Campa dropped to 34-2-1.
The 25-year-old Lopez regarded way more just like the promising younger fighter who captivated the world when he beat Vasily Lomachenko to say the unified light-weight championship in 2020.
Campa, who depends on a straight-forward method and hard-firing punches, struggled to land a lot, as Lopez stayed energetic all through the struggle and displayed impeccable protection.
On the assault, Lopez was a lot quicker and crisper together with his punches, touchdown 52% of his energy punches, per CompuBox.
“I started working a bit of bit extra on some issues, however general it was good,” Lopez mentioned of his efficiency. “It’s been some time. There was lots on my thoughts. I practically virtually died (in) the final struggle, in order that was weighing on my thoughts, I needed to clear it out.
“Getting in there, I’m not afraid to die, however the very last thing I wish to do isn't have my son have a father.”
It was solely 9 months in the past Lopez hit a profession low when he misplaced as an enormous favourite to George Kambosos Jr. by cut up determination.
However the loss to Kambosos in New York Metropolis on Nov. 27 was later overshadowed by the information he fought with a situation referred to as pneumomediastinum and had in depth air within the retropharyngeal house, per a report by ESPN, one thing he didn’t find out about till after struggling his first-ever loss.
“That was weighing on my thoughts, however I needed to get that man out, someway, someway,” the Brooklyn fighter mentioned.
Main as much as the seventh, Lopez was the aggressor, staying in pursuit and persistently peppering Campa’s face whereas absorbing photographs and shaking off obvious ring rust.
Lopez appeared to again off within the fourth and fifth a bit, maybe logging rounds whereas preserving vitality, however returned to an energetic function and landed a number of mixtures within the sixth.
“Little by little these punches are gonna add up and ultimately it’s gonna harm them,” Lopez mentioned. “It might not do it straight away, however in due time it’ll get them out.
“It is a blessing, man. Time is one thing we don’t get again.”
Earlier, Xander Zayas (14-0, 10 KOs) stopped Elias Espadas (22-5) within the fifth spherical, delivering a devastating proper hook to the jaw to say the vacant WBO NABO junior middleweight title.
The 19-year-old from Puerto Rico was dominant from the beginning, scoring a knockdown within the first spherical, then utilizing sharp mixtures to put on down Espadas over the subsequent three rounds earlier than ending the struggle with 2:36 left within the fifth spherical.
Per CompuBox, Zayas, who threw 60 punches per pound, landed 42% of his energy punches whereas 27 of the 86 punches he landed have been to the physique.
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