Pick It: #2 Teofimo Lopez vs. Pedro Campa (Saturday, ESPN, 10:00 PM EST)

The Takeover was interrupted quickly. 25-year old former lineal lightweight king Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 KO) squandered the momentum from his upset win over Vasyl Lomachenko, lost a year of activity, and then was shorn of the crown in his very first defense against underdog George Kambosos.

Beating the man, and staying the man, are two different things. Still talented and young enough to learn, Lopez launches his move to Jr. welterweight this weekend against 30-year old Pedro Campa (34-1-1, 23 KO). Campa’s only loss came in 2017 by stoppage but he enters here with four straight wins, three of them by stoppage. Jr. welterweight has been lively for a few years but Lopez and Ryan Garcia add depth and intrigue if they can stay winning. The rest of Lopez’s career starts here. Jr. middleweight Xander Zayas is also in action with undercard bouts starting at 6:35 PM EST on ESPN+.    

Additional Shows to Watch For

Saturday - Farmer vs. Bey (FiteTV, 12:00 AM EST)

Fans with an extra $29.99 can see a clash of former titlists. 32-year old former Jr. lightweight beltholder Tevin Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KO) faces 39-year old former lightweight titlist. Both men are coming off a loss and have little margin of error. The undercard will feature one of the most talented young fighters in the game, 22-year old middleweight Lorenzo Simpson (11-0, 7 KO).      

Saturday - Velez vs. Ferrer (FiteTV, 5:30 PM EST)  

Fite+ subscribers will get this lightweight main event with their package. 34-year old former title challenger Jayson Velez (30-8-1, 21 KO) lost three in a row before a win in his last start. He will face 30-year old Wesley Ferrer in the main event. Ferrer has won four in a row. 

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com