Shakur Stevenson Picks Teofimo Lopez For A ‘Safer’ Belt Grab

Coach Bernie Davis says the reason Shakur Stevenson has chosen Teofimo Lopez over Subriel Matias at 140 to chase a belt is because he wanted to fight a “superstar.” He rates Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) as fitting the label of a “superstar.”

(Credit: Golden Boy)

Did Shakur Play It Safe at 140?

Insiders suspect that Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) has spotted the obvious vulnerability in Teofimo’s game, noting his loss to George Kambosos, and his controversial wins at 140 against Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz.

Teo is viewed as the weakest of the champions at light welterweight by some fans. They view Shakur as calculated with his choice of him over Matias, Gary Antuanne Russell, and Richardson Hitchins.

“Shakur wants all the best fights. He’s a sharpshooter, a defensive wizard, and can you solve this puzzle?” said coach Bernie Davies to MillCity Boxing about Shakur Stevenson. “This guy is unbeatable.”

If Stevenson wants the best fighters, why has he chosen not to fight Andy Cruz, Ernesto Mercado, Raymond Muratalla, Abdullah Mason, or rescheduled against Floyd Schofield? Shakur’s resume is mediocre.

The Newark, New Jersey native, Stevenson, certainly isn’t unbeatable. We saw in his last fight against William Zepeda and his match against Edwin De Los Santos that he’s plenty beatable. Many fans had him losing to both fighters. He ran from De Los Santos and was booed out of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with his 12-round unanimous decision in November 2023.

The ‘Superstar’ Illusion at 140

“Matias has already got a fight already. Teofimo, they linked in. They the young boys,” said Bernie when asked why Shakur isn’t targeting WBA light welterweight champion Subriel Matias rather than Teofimo at 140. “They’re young superstars. It’s a superstar fight. Shakur wants a superstar fight.”

If Shakur wants a superstar to validate him artificially, he’s choosing the wrong fighter because Teofimo does not meet the standards to be labeled as such. Matias did lose to Liam Paro, but that’s a fight he should have won if the referee had penalized the Australian for constant shoving, holding, and rabbit punches. Paro used all three of those tactics to neutralize Matias’ offense, and the referee didn’t lift a finger to dock him points.

“He just beat Zepeda. He’s [Stevenson] a superstar guy. He needs a superstar fight. Teofimo also has a Ring Magazine championship. He also has a great win over Lomachenko. He has a great win over Josh Taylor. So, it’s a superstar fight. Subriel Matias is not a superstar,” said Bernie.

A better argument for perhaps the real reason why Shakur chose Teofimo over Matias is that he’s a more winnable fight. Lopez has struggled since moving up to 140 in 2022 and has only been saved from having his career sink to the bottom due to his promoters at Top Rank propping him up with careful matchmaking.

The ‘General Population’ Test

If they had put Teofimo in the general population, he’d have imploded and would be ready for the junk heap. The fighters that would have sunk Lopez’s career by now at 140″

Gary Antuanne Russell
Richardson Hitchins
Ernesto Mercado
Keyshawn Davis
Subriel Matias
Alberto Puello

Shakur would likely lose to all or most of those fighters as well. He doesn’t have the power to handle these types of fighters, and could barely cut it against William Zepeda. He doesn’t possess the physical tools to beat the apex fighters at 140 or 135.

Indeed, Matias isn’t a superstar, but for Berbie to use that as the reason for Shakur’s choice sounds 100% disengenuous or, at the very least, ignorant. Teofimo is not a superstar either. He’s a fighter who lost to George Kambosos Jr. and deserved to lose his fight against Jamaine Ortiz on February 8, 2024.

The judges gave Lopez a close 12-round unanimous decision, but many boxing fans saw it as a blatant robbery with the A-side fighter being given the victory over the less-known, less marketable guy.

Written by Nation Vegas, a Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2013.