On January 31, at Madison Square Garden, New York City, Shakur Stevenson moved up to super lightweight and defeated Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision to become the new Lineal and WBO champion. The entire card streamed live on DAZN Pay-Per-View.
Teofimo Lopez loses to Shakur Stevenson
By the end of the first round, Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) had settled into his groove, and he was never taken out of it, controlling the distance and tempo with his excellent jab. Stevenson showcased impressive speed and accuracy throughout the fight, which Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) struggled to deal with. In between rounds, Teofimo Lopez Sr was constantly telling his son to hit Stevenson, which was easier said than done.
Shakur was countering Lopez almost at will, with a clearly frustrated Lopez unable to trouble the challenger. Lopez looked devoid of ideas as the fight went on, and he had no answer to Stevenson’s slick skills. It was no surprise that all three judges scored the fight 119-109. Lopez and his corner were heavily criticised after the fight, with some calling for a change of trainer for “The Takeover.”
Teofimo Lopez clarifies his father’s role
Speaking to Mike Coppinger about his father’s role in his team moving forward, Lopez said:
“My father, yeah, he’s still my head trainer. I think he just needs some things that he needs to work on within himself personally, just so I can get him back refocused. That’s all it is.
“But we’ll add some other people in addition to it, change a few things. That’s part of it. You need to learn from it. But as far as…it’s a father and son dynamic duo that will always stick. I’m not going to switch it. If anything, we just add to it.Because I think right now, my father just needs to focus on himself and how to adjust himself, and then we’ll be right back as new.”
Featured Image Credit:
Vicki Lewis / MSGE
