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Teofimo Lopez will return to the ring on August 13th, 2022. Lopez most recently fought in November 2021, when George Kambosos Jr. beat him by split decision. The fight was Lopez's first title defense after claiming the lightweight crown from Ukrainian boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Mike Coppinger of ESPN reports that Lopez and Pedro Campa will fight at 140lbs, which means that the former lightweight champ is moving up to the junior welterweight division:
"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 he lost the lightweight championship to George Kambosos in November."
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Kambosos is currently preparing for his own first title defense against Devin Haney, who holds the WBC belt. The winner of the bout will be crowned the Undisputed Champion of the division. As a result, Lopez would likely need to challenge them in order to reclaim a lightweight world title.
Teofimo Lopez and his title fights
Teofimo Lopez earned his belts by dethroning the reigning pound-for-pound king, Vasiliy Lomachenko. Lopez was a major underdog going into the bout but outboxed the technical fighter and earned a decision on the cards. At the time, it was one of the biggest upsets in recent boxing history.
Lopez entered his first title defense expecting to knock the challenger out in the first round. However, the Australian fighter did not go down easily and managed to pull off an upset of his own, claiming Lopez's crown. It was the first loss of the young fighter's career.
The American has not stepped back into the ring since his loss to Kambosos. However, he has maintained a public presence and has regularly commented on the upcoming fight between Kambosos and Haney. Though many expected him to challenge the winner of the fight, he has yet to do so.
Lopez recently suggested that he will be aiming for Josh Taylor's recently vacated WBA Light Welterweight title. It may be for this reason that he has decided to move up in class. If he does decide to stay in the junior welterweight division, Lopez may be destined for a clash with Taylor, who currently holds the WBO, WBC, The Ring, and IBF titles.
