Teofimo Lopez and Pedro Campa Jr. are both signed to the same boxing promotional company, Top Rank. Both men are likely on a fast track to world title opportunities with their promoter. Campa is a former Olympian and has been more active than Lopez thus far in his pro boxing career. As such, it's understandable that many people assume Campa is the superior prospect of the two at this point in their careers. But after watching each man fight twice this year, it's clear that Teofimo Lopez is much closer to being a complete fighter than Campa at this point in their respective careers. Let us look at all the factors ahead of the Pedro Campa vs. Teofimo Lopez match, which is going to happen on Saturday, August 13 at the Resorts World Las Vegas Event Center in Las Vegas.
Lopez said, "I'm thankful to be back. I've been looking forward to this since my last fight. I've had a lot of complications, but we're looking towards the future and are on to bigger and better things. I'm here to take over the 140 lb division just like I did at 135. Like always, I will bring excitement to the sport of boxing. 'The Takeover' is still in full effect. You don't want to miss it." Campa said, "He is a tremendous fighter. I am ready to implement everything I have learned with my incredible trainer, Manny Robles. We've been in Southern California working hard and preparing for the best version of Teofimo Lopez. I believe I can be a force at 140 lbs, and it's up to me to show that."
Footwork is an often-overlooked aspect of boxing, but it's an important skill for every fighter. Footwork is the way a fighter moves his legs and shifts his weight from one foot to the other when boxing. It can be used to move around the ring, change angles, avoid punches, or make subtle shifts in position to set up combinations. Teofimo Lopez has better footwork because he's better at using subtle shifts in position to set up his combinations. When he throws a combination, it looks like he's almost lunging toward his opponent. When Campa throws a combination, it looks like he's more of a robot. That's not a slight against Campa. It's just that Lopez is more coordinated and uses more athleticism in his footwork and his punching combinations.
Teofimo Lopez is a crisper puncher because his punches are more economical. He doesn't use a ton of energy throwing a ton of punches. He uses just enough punches to win the rounds. Teofimo Lopez is a better finisher as a puncher. He's not going to out-punch Campa throughout an entire fight. But he can win a fight by decision if he has to. That's not something that can be said about Pedro Campa Jr. He's an all-out puncher. He throws a ton of punches. He's not very economical with his punches. He's very reliant on his ability to knock his opponent out. If he can't knock his opponent out, he doesn't have much to fall back on. Teofimo Lopez is far more active with his hands because he uses his footwork to get inside, and then he can stay inside. When he's inside, rather than just throwing a few punches and then getting back outside, he aggressively pressures his opponent. Teofimo Lopez throws more punches because he's more active with his hands. He is more relentless in his attack while he's inside. He's an all-round more active fighter with his hands instead of just being a power puncher like Campa.
Teofimo Lopez throws more punches because he is more active with his hands. He isn't just a power puncher. He has footwork that allows him to get inside and a nice variety of punches that he likes to throw from the inside. He has an effective left hook, an effective right hook, an effective left uppercut, and an effective right uppercut. He also does a nice job of mixing his left and right straights. On the other hand, Campa is only effective when he's throwing a straight right hand. He doesn't use his left hand at all. His footwork is rudimentary at best. He doesn't use his footwork to get inside. He just stands in one place and waits for his opponent to either walk into his right hand or try to come to him. Teofimo Lopez is an aggressive fighter but also very active in his defense. He is always looking to counter-punch after he misses a combination or after his opponent misses a punch.
Pedro Campa Jr. is an Olympic-level athlete with the physical gifts to become a world champion. There's no doubt that Campa is a better athlete than Lopez. He is taller, bigger, and has more physical gifts than Lopez. Campa can become a world champion by simply becoming a more disciplined fighter. He doesn't have to change his fighting style. He just needs to be more disciplined in his approach.
Campa almost uses his right hand to try to knock his opponent out. He doesn't throw many left hands and almost never throws body shots. He doesn't use his right hand to throw at the body. He doesn't use his left hand to throw to the body. Campa is an all-or-nothing fighter. If he doesn't land his right hand, he has nothing else to fall back on. He doesn't have footwork that allows him to move his body inside or any punches he can throw at the body. Campa has rudimentary footwork. He doesn't use his footwork to move his body inside. He just stands in one place, waits for his opponent to walk into his right hand, and then backs up after he lands a punch. His footwork is subpar because he only uses his footwork to move backward. He doesn't move his feet to get inside and then uses his footwork to stay inside long enough to throw a combination. He just stands outside and waits for his opponent to come to him.
Campa cannot move his feet, get inside, and use his footwork to set up combinations. He just stands outside, waits for his opponent to come to him, and then tries to knock his opponent out with one punch. When his opponent is patient and can stay outside his effective range and throw one or two punches at a time, Campa has no way of cutting off the ring and closing the distance. He doesn't have the footwork to do that. Knowing your range is key to becoming a better fighter. Boxing is about controlling the distance, which is the physical distance between two fighters, and the mental distance between you and your opponent. Campa is a very passive fighter. He is not usually looking to counter-punch when he misses a punch. He is just looking to land a power shot. Campa's fighting style is more appropriate for the lower-level guys he faces. But it's not good enough to beat the top-level fighters in the light heavyweight division.
Nationality: American
Born: July 30, 1997
Height: 5-8
Reach: 68.5 inches
Total fights: 17
Record: 16-1 with 12 wins via knockout
Nationality: Mexican
Born: Jan. 16, 1992
Height: 5-9
Reach: N/A
Total fights: 36
Record: 34-1-1 with 23 wins via knockout
Teofimo Lopez vs. Pedro Campa; Junior-Welterweights
Xander Zayas vs. Elias Espadas; Junior-Middleweights
Andres Cortes vs. Abraham Montoya; Junior-Lightweights
Duke Ragan vs. D'Angelo Fuentes; Featherweights
Troy Isley vs. Victor Toney; Middleweights
Charlie Sheehy vs. Omar Rosario; Lightweights
Jose Enrique Vivas vs. Edy Valencia; Featherweights
Conclusion
Campa is an all-or-nothing boxer who doesn't use his feet to get inside, doesn't throw many different punches, and doesn't throw many punches to the body. Campa's style can be very effective in a certain type of fight. When he faces an opponent with poor footwork and a lack of finesse in their punching, he can win the fight with one punch. But if his opponent is someone who can box, someone who can move their body inside and throw multiple different punches and mix them up, and someone who can throw to the body, Campa's style of fighting usually results in a loss.