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Teofimo Lopez will embark on his “Takeover 2.0” this Saturday, this time in the junior welterweight section. Lopez will face Pedro Campa, a once-beaten opponent. The event is intended to relaunch Teofimo Lopez after he lost his first professional fight to lightweight George Kambosos . Teofimo Lopez, his father Lopez Sr., believes that many quality opponents exist in the 140-pound weight division. The fight card will air live on ESPN/ESPN Deportes, and stream on ESPN+. Check out the top sportsbooks for betting on boxing.
There isn’t much preview to be found for Saturday’s main-event bout between Teofimo López and Pedro Campa. Campa holds a solid record of 34-1-1, but the devil is in details. Pedro’s last win was against a boxer who had a 22-0 record. It takes only a few seconds to see Carlos Sanchez Valadez’s record and realize how weak it is. Apart from that win, Campa had a draw in 2019 with Abner Lopez, a solid fighter. However, he was also stopped by Carlos Jiminez 11-8-1 in 2017. Marvin Quintero, or Juan Antonio Rodriguez could be his best win. It is safe to assume Lopez will win by a knockout. It just depends on when and which punch.
My Official Prediction: Teofimo Lopez in the early to mid rounds knockout.
If Teofimo plays his cards right on Saturday night, he might sneak in another outing, before the year is up. It could be headlining the annual Top Rank slot after the Heisman Trophy Award show. This is always a great rating that can help boost the numbers. This week, Bob Arum spoke to the media and listed several options for Lopez’s next bout. Jose Ramirez is possible, but he recently made a deal to the WBC to allow Jose Zepeda or Regis Progrias through with the winner who was forced to fight him. The outcome of those two bouts could then be moved back to mid to late 2023.
Bob Arum mentioned that Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall’s winner would be moved to next year due to their fall date. Devin Haney will spend the end of this year once again fighting George Kambosos. Arum also appears to be targeting Vasiliy Lombenko for Haney in either the first or second quarter of 2023. This would let Haney/Kambosos 2 go ahead and also give Lomachenko enough time to get a tune-up.
Teofimo reiterated that the belt-wearing opponent is the most important. Oscar De La Hoya will not be attending Saturday’s event. Ryan Garcia could also be there. Bob said he was open to talks with Oscar about what would be an amazing pairing. Arnold Barboza Jr. won a match against Danielito Zorrilla on July ESPN, so it is likely that he is the frontrunner for a possible December matchup.
Side Note: Rising junior welterweight prospect Xander Zyas faces Elias Espadas, in an 8-rounder. Andres Cortes vs. Abraham Montoya are all part of TR/ESPN’s undercard.
Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio
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