“Teo is a very good fighter, great boxing skills. I just made him look that way because of my skills, but other guys won’t make him look that way.”
The point of the message was clear. Stevenson was building Lopez up to protect the value of the win.
That reaction matched the early fan reaction. Much of the discussion focused less on how clean Stevenson looked and more on how poor Lopez appeared. Since moving up from lightweight in 2021, Lopez has struggled to look comfortable at 140 pounds. Outside of his strong performance against Josh Taylor, his performances at the weight raised more questions than answers.
Because of that recent history, many fans have landed on a simple conclusion. Lopez looked bad again, so the win said more about the opponent than the performance. Stevenson’s post was aimed directly at that idea.
Rather than treat Lopez as a fighter in decline, Stevenson described the night as a case of control and skill. He suggested that Lopez didn’t suddenly forget how to fight and that most opponents would have had trouble with him even if Stevenson hadn’t.
The wide twelve-round decision added fuel to both sides of the argument. Stevenson was rarely touched and controlled the pace from start to finish, making the win look routine. That same dominance also made it easier for critics to dismiss Lopez as a diminished fighter at this weight.
Stevenson’s comments show that he understands how quickly a result can be downgraded once that label sticks. If the fight is remembered as another rough outing for Lopez at 140, it does little for Stevenson moving forward.
That’s why the praise was there. Stevenson didn’t just talk about the fight he won. He tried to direct how the victory would be remembered.
