By Dan Ambrose: Former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has agreed to a deal to fight veteran fighter Pedro Campa in his debut at 140 on August 13th.
Mike Coppinger reports that the recently beaten Teofimo ‘Takeover’ Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) has agreed to fight 30-year-old Mexico native Campa (33-1-1, 22 KOs) in his debut at light-welterweight, possibly in South Florida.
This is a fight to get Teofimo’s feet wet in the light-welterweight division while at the same time giving him a confidence-builder after his crushing defeat at the hands of George Kambosos Jr. last November.
It’s an interesting choice of opponent for Teofimo to be taking on a fighter of this level because it was only last year; he was proclaiming himself as the best fighter in the 135-lb division after his upset win over the injured one-armed Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020.
For Teofimo to be fighting a guy like Campa sends out red flags that either he or his promoters have doubts about his viability to cut the mustard against the top-tier opposition at 140.
If that’s the case, Teofimo should work harder at cutting weight to stay at 135 because they punch a lot harder at 140, and they have more talent than the guys he’s been fighting apart from the injured Lomachenko.
The 24-year-old Teofimo had been talked about fighting Josh Taylor or #8 WBC Arnold Barboza, but instead, he’s opting for a second-tier fighter to ensure he doesn’t lose again.
Teofimo will be coming off a nine-month layoff when he faces Campa on August 13th. That’s a long time in between fights for a fighter as young as Teofimo, but he’s had injuries that required surgery.
“Teofimo Lopez and Pedro Campa have agreed to a deal for a 140-pound fight on Aug. 13, likely in South Florida; sources tell ESPN. The ESPN main event will mark Lopez’s junior welterweight debut after losing the lightweight championship to George Kambosos in November,” said Mike Coppinger.
Pedro Campa’s last ten opponents:
- Abimael Cruz Bautista
- Carlos Cardenas
- Kenin Betancourt
- Abner Lopez
- Adrian Perez
- Domicio Rondon
- Ivan Alvarez
- Carlos Jimenez
- Juan Antonio Rodriguez
- Marvin Quintero
As you can tell, every one of Campa’s opponents is obscure, just like him, making Teofimo look even worse for this opponent’s choice.
Campa is one of those fighters with an entirely built-up record of obscure fighters while fighting in his native Mexico. Although his 33-1-1 record looks impressive for Campa, it’s totally littered with poor opposition from bottom to top.
One good thing about Teofimo wasting a year of his career fighting just once against Campa will help him wait out undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor to vacate his titles and move up to 147.
The chances of Teofimo beating a talented fighter like Taylor are virtually zero. If you can beat an average fighter like Kambosos, you have no business trying to fight Josh Taylor.
