Shakur Stevenson today defended his potential battle against Theofimo Lopez and sent them back on the allegation that it would be a low-output sloozer. Stevenson (24-0, 11 COs) says his battle with theofimo will be ‘Chess at high level.’
Fans reject “high-level chess”
The phrase is not what the fans wanted to see, because people who buy PPV opportunities want to be entertained with high output. Fans do not want to look at the retro fighting in the 1990s with a single punch, followed by a three-step withdrawal.
Theofimo’s boring last fight
Lopez (22-1, 13 CO’s) can be entertaining if he fights aggressively, but his last competition against Arnold Barboza jr. On May 2, 2025, at Times Square in New York, was criticized by fans for being ‘boring’. Fans noted that it looked like theofimo preferred to mimic Shakur’s fighting style by tossing, withdrawing and focusing on a few blows.
Fans described it as such:
– “Crap Fight”
– “Terrible”
– “No Heart”
– “No gravel”
– “No passion”
– “Legitically Pathetic to Look”
You clearly do not like the boxing sports as you pretend, is a high level that would be the true word for a fight like this !! https://t.co/ijp4uoph4a
– Shakur Stevenson (@shakurstevenson) September 1, 2025
A different path for them
As commentator Dan Canobbio pointed out, he wants to see Shakur and Theofimo in “3 or 4 fights in the section” rather than against each other. He brings out a good point. The two fighters are entertaining to look at if they are connected to aggressive, offensive fighters. But if they are with boxers, they tend to be less interesting to look at.
The ideal opponents for theofimo
- Gary Antuanne Russell
- Subriel Matias
- Keyshawn Davis
- Ernesto Mercado
- Oscar Duarte
“Talent, Shakur is probably better. But I feel like Theofimo’s heart, his mentality, he’s more like a real fighter, “coach Robert Garcia said EsnewsChoose Theofimo Lopez to defeat Shakur Stevenson.
Shakur would better match Abdullah Mason, Jadier Herrera, Raymond Muratalla, Floyd Schofield and Andy Cruz. These are fighters who would attack Stevenson and try to strike him. He would be forced to be entertaining.
Last updated on 09/02/2025
