Shakur Stevenson Showed Up & Dominated Teofimo Lopez
By Eddie Sanchez
Shakur Stevenson had his way against Teofimo Lopez, outclassing the champion en route to a wide unanimous decision win, taking the WBO super lightweight title in the process.
It’s the fourth division in which the 28-year-old Stevenson (25-0, 11 KO) has won a world title. The fight was never in doubt, and Teofimo never got close to keeping pace with him.
Lopez (22-2, 13 KO) has lost before, but this was closer to an embarrassment rather than a closely contested match versus a contemporary, which many thought it would be entering the night. He genuinely was not a threat at any point of the fight.
Stevenson put on a masterful performance and truly stated his case to be considered near the top of anyone’s P4P list. With this recognition in mind, speculation quickly surrounded the New Jersey native around who he may face next.
Following the fight, Stevenson called out and was met with a reciprocating plea from Connor Benn.
Benn, the Welterweight, of course, recently stepped up to Middleweight for two fights against Chris Eubank Jr., who happened to drop down from 168. Benn, dominantly victorious in the rematch, would bring an interesting question of advantages vs. disadvantages in a potential matchup with Shakur Stevenson.
Much intrigue would surround both fighters’ size, length, and athleticism. With no title on the line, this could set the victor up for a huge matchup against the likes of Devin Haney, Rolly Romero, or Ryan Garcia/Mario Barrios, the current title holders at the Welterweight division.
There are of course, some interesting names in Shakur’s current division in Richardson Hitchins (IBF), Gary Antuanne Russell (WBA), and Dalton Smith (WBC), though the idea of Shakur moving up in weight again brings a lot of intrigue and keeps him close to huge money opportunities if he continues to remain victorious.
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