Does anyone have Teofimo "Do I still got it" Lopez beating Stevenson?

Shakur puts on a masterclass. I think Teo is swinging at fresh air a lot, frustration may even lead to a knockdown.

118-109

 

I like both fighters, but Shakur should be able to handle Teofimo all the way to a decision. Shakur by unanimous decision.

 

I got Teo winning then doing a stupid fortnight dance

 

I got Teo in this one. I am still pretty unimpressed with Shakur's level of opposition and his approach to adversity. His punch power was already lacking at 135, and now he's at 140 against a guy who can actually crack a bit. Teo's whole career has been a tale of 2 personalities. When his back is against the wall and people aren't backing him, he tends to operate at his best, but when he goes into fights that people expect him to win, he can look absolutely awful. Few people are backing him here, so that's my theory.

He won't be fazed by Shakur's power, will force him to fight, and has the ring IQ and speed to disrupt the rhythm and take it down the stretch. He's by far the most skilled fighter Shakur has faced, whereas Shakur is not the best fighter Teo has faced.

Shakur is a good fighter, but he's not that good; he is very beatable, feather-fisted at the elite level, and terrified to engage. The fact that he thinks he is better than Inoue and Muhammad Ali, while calling Sugar Ray Robinson a bum, shows he clearly believes his own hype. Pride often comes before the fall. If the best version of both of them shows up, I think Teo wins.

 

I pick Shakur, but if the best version of Teo shows up, he has a damn good chance. If the Teo from the Kbosos fight shows up, Shakur wins a wide UD. Teo needs to keep his cool and not get frustrated.

 

Teo is single handedly selling this fight.


I’ve seen both fighters backing up and not engaging.

Will be interesting to see who moves forward and who moves backwards.

 

This analysis sounds more like you WANT this to happen rather than you believe it will. The last paragraph serving as the reason for it.

Any analysis that tries to make it seem as though Shakur is incapable of using his IQ to get a win vs an opponent who has far too often showed flaws in his game is not an analysis that I can stand behind. There isn't a single fighter who 'wasn't fazed' by Shakur's power. You don't get to be a multi-division world champ and Lineal champion without having power that will keep someone from just walking you down for 12 rounds.

Now is Shakur a KO artist.....not close, I don't want to even have that dangling in my message. But what beats power and speed is timing and efficiency.. Something that Shakur is a master at. He showcased this throughout the amateurs, in the Olympics, and as a pro. I've personally seen him spar with much bigger individuals than Teo and effect them with his power repeatedly. Given it's sparring, but strength is strength.

So, what he believes he's better than greats before him and current. Why is that a reason to suggest that he is mediocre. Teo knows the type of problems he will face vs Shakur thus you see him with a different focus than what he normally displays. Not expecting Shakur to effect Teo with his power because he's 'pillow fisted'.......well, Shakur has more stoppages than Kambosos who put Teo down in the first in route to an upset. Sandor Martin who is also not a KO artist put Teo on the canvas as well.

 

Why is defense considered running. We've clearly seen individuals who spend 12 rounds REFUSING to engage like when Scull fought Canelo...... I've never seen that with Shakur. He uses angles, footwork, slipping, etc with counter punching. He meets you in the center of the ring and makes you miss, often.

 

I want to see Teo in the mindset he had something to prove like when he was going into the Loma fight.

It wasn't his best performances, but his biggest stage. He knew what he needed and wanted to do to get the win and for the most part accomplished just that. He understood what Loma wanted to do and for the most part, didn't allow him to get in that mode. It seems like after that fight, mentally Teofimo felt he had already accomplished it all and that he deserved to be marveled at every corner. I'm not saying he lost the fighter's mentality, but he has been up and down mentally on how he approaches his competition.

Lately he had been using controversial antics to keep himself relevant rather than just saying 'I'm the best, prove me wrong'...... If we can get that old focus from Teo, combined with the confidence that Shakur is bringing, we could see a hell of a show in a couple weeks. IQ or IQ. Athleticism vs Athleticism. 2 experienced young stars trying to solidify a spot on the top of today's p4p list.

 

Both are natural counter punchers. Teo being the naturally bigger guy, I'd be surprised to see him 'backing up'. But honestly, I don't see either of them fighting with their back on the ropes and/or someone chasing the other. The history of these 2 will create magic round to round until someone gains control of the action.

 

I thought Stevenson lost to the Mexican and Lopez has shown a higher level on his day.

 

They will gift it to Shakur if it’s close or not. We’ve seen this throughout history the defensive fighter being favoured over the aggressive fighter even for doing less work. Teo has to drop him multiple times to win.

 

Honestly, I find them both so disrespectful, unlikable, and obsessed with social media that I don't know who I want to win. Shakur is a masterful boxer, but his power is extremely lacking; he's that quick and technically astute that anyone who tries to walk him down gets outboxed for the entire fight, but an on-form Lopez will be by far the best name Shakur has fought.

The fight against De Los Santos was basically someone who tried to walk him down the entire fight because he knew Shakur had no power, and it was one of the worst title fights I have ever seen because Shakur was so terrified to engage, and that was at 135, and now he is going up to another weight division, and a natural division for Lopez.

Again, though, Teo looked dreadful in those fights because he went into them thinking all he had to do was show up. He knows this fight won't be the case.

I'm really not set on Shakur as a P4P name yet. He talks about Inoue's lack of a resume, but there's no way anyone could convince me that Stevenson has faced better opposition. I think as soon as he gets dragged into deep water by a true A-grade name, he will be looking for an exit. He could also be reaching his weight ceiling as well. I'm not saying Shakur is mediocre; he's a fantastic boxer. When he puts his punches together, he's one of the best to watch in the sport. But the attributes he lacks will be his downfall at some stage, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was in this fight, his confidence does not align with his ability, at least in my opinion.