Stevenson is not a knockout. He never was, on any level. His advantage against Teofimo Lopez is not power. It is control. Distance. Rounds slipping away while the other fighter is forced to reset.
This is the version Stevenson Lopez has to deal with.
Stevenson moved up to 140 to challenge Lopez for the Ring and WBO titles after holding the WBC lightweight belt. The weight change does not change his approach. He still wins by limiting what opponents can do rather than physically breaking them down. When his fights are one-sided, it’s usually because opponents can’t close space or stay long enough to work.
This is where the warning either holds up or falls apart.
Against William Zepeda last July, Stevenson spent long stretches near the ropes. He remained calm, but he also took more contact than usual. Zepeda doesn’t carry Lopez’s timing or power. Lopez does. A stagnant Stevenson, even a cautious one, would give Lopez opportunities he didn’t need help creating.
Lopez is not a fighter who needs volume to make an impact. He watched for moments. He reacts quickly when opponents sit in front of him. If Stevenson chooses to stay close or fight off the ropes, the margin narrows.
So the quote is less a warning and more a reminder of what Stevenson cannot afford to let go of. If he wins, it will be through clean laps and frustration, not damage. If he deviates from that approach, the weight jump and the opponent become problems at the same time.
