Via Dan Ambrose: Tim Bradley said he hopes former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez will regain his confidence with a knockout match against Pedro Campa on ESPN at Resorts World Las Vegas tonight.
Top ranking is not said, but Teofimo’s career will come tonight against Campa (34-1-1, 23 KOs). If Teofimo loses at this level of a gladiator, it’s time to pack it up.
Top rating may need to consider cutting Teofimo if he is beaten tonight as that would be a sign of his mental breakdown after what happened to him against George Kambosos.
Teofimo (16-1, 12 KOs) lost his last match to Kambosos Jr, and the defeat took a toll on him.
Teo spoke in a frenzy, denied the loss, and devised an outlandish conspiracy theory to help explain why he didn’t raise his hand.
“Just get rid of this name. This is an introductory fight for you, man,” Tim Bradley told Against TV Hub about Teofimo Lopez’s game against Pedro Campa tonight.
“It’s a type of fighting that boosts confidence. That’s what you do when there’s a guy who’s been knocked down. You bring them back and give them a light touch. Some have a little resistance.
“A guy will swing but will open up to the counter. He [Teofimo] so we can get him out. I don’t know which round, but he will be able to take this guy down.
“This guy was blocked earlier in his career. This is basically a Teofimo performance. An outstanding type of scrolling performance. That’s what I believe will happen. Then he will come back.
“Once you regain the confidence of a top fighter like Teo, once you get rid of those demons and you get into the ring, and you fight under those bright lights again after lose, you will return. If you knock them down, you’ll be back.
“That’s what he needs right now, a confidence. I think he understands. Once he hits it, you’ll hear a different tune when he gets that knockout. I just thought he would say, ‘I want all the smoke.’
“He wants all the belts. He said he wanted to be undisputed at 140 That’s the guy [Josh] Taylor. I understand he is not undisputed. They’re trying to direct him again,” Bradley said.
