Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez are set for a dynamite clash on February 1 (January 31 in the US) in a blockbuster bout featuring two of today’s pound-for-pound kings at 140. And if history and recent form are any indication, it appears Stevenson has the upper hand in the duo’s date at Madison Square Garden.
But two talented boxers—O’Shaquie Foster and Gary Russell Jr.—beg to disagree. In fact, both see a pathway for Lopez to pull off the upset against the unbeaten Stevenson, who is coming off an impressive beatdown of William Zepeda.
Foster Sees Lopez as a Bad Matchup for Stevenson
Foster, who has firsthand insight into Stevenson as the latter’s one-time sparring partner, believes Lopez is the more athletic of the two and is a bad matchup for Stevenson because of his athletic ability.
“Styles make fights. I think that’s a bad style matchup for Shakur,” Foster told Fight Hub TV recently. “Shakur, he likes to be the most athletic guy in the ring. When he’s not, he has problems. He’s a right-handed fighter out of the southpaw stance. So, when you’re meeting guys that have athleticism and fight with their strong hand at the back, you’re going to have to rely on more than just your jab as the range finder.”
“Does [Stevenson] have a solid left hand?” Foster continued. “You’ve seen him throw it, but you’ve never seen him knock anybody out with it… So I just think that when you meet certain guys, that’s why I say the style—you meet certain guys, you’re going to have to rely on both of them hands, and I just think it’s a bad style matchup for him. I see Teofimo beating him.”
Lopez Is Stronger and More Athletic, Says Russell
Russell, the WBA super lightweight champ, thinks Lopez is stronger and more athletically gifted than Stevenson, although he believes the latter is the smarter fighter of the two. And, according to him, the fight is mostly 50/50, with the winner depending on “what fighter shows up” at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s 50/50. In order for you to participate in this sport, you’ve got to have a high level of confidence. I feel like both of them have a high level of confidence,” Russell told Fight Hub TV. “Naturally, I think Teofimo is stronger than Shakur. Naturally, I think he has more athleticism than Shakur, and he’s got a good IQ for the sport itself. Shakur, I feel like he’s the smarter fighter. He’s a more technical fighter. It’s a 50/50 fight, and it depends on what fighter shows up on the night.”
At least for Russell, Lopez could very well win if prime Teo shows up in this mega-fight.
“If I had to give my honest truth, if Teo Lopez shows up and is ready to fight just like how he fought Lomachenko, he’s going to win,” Russell concluded.
