Teófimo López makes winning return with seventh-round wipeout of Campa

Teófimo López made a triumphant return to the ring, stopping Pedro Campa in the seventh round Saturday night at Resorts World Events Center in Las Vegas.

López made his debut as a 140lb junior welterweight in his first fight since suffering the only loss of his career.

Moments after putting Campa on the canvas at the start of the seventh, López (17-1, 13 KOs) obliterated his outmatched opponent with a flurry of punches, prompting referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight at the 2:14 mark.

“I am grateful for this, I have returned,” López said.

Campa dropped to 34-2-1.

The 25-year-old López 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 straightforward approach and hard-firing punches, struggled to land much, as López stayed active throughout the fight and displayed impeccable defense.

On the attack, López was much faster and crisper with his punches, landing 52% of his power punches, per Compubox.

“I got to work a little bit more on some things, but overall it was good,” López 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, I had to clear it out.

“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.”

It was only nine months ago López hit a career low when he lost as a huge favorite to George Kambosos Jr by split decision.

But the loss to Kambosos in New York City on 27 November was later overshadowed by the news he fought with a condition called pneumomediastinum and had extensive air in the retropharyngeal space, per a report by ESPN,