Brian Norman Sr. Pushes Back on Knockout Talk in Stevenson–Lopez

Talk of a knockout in the January 31 fight between Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez continues to circle, but not everyone is buying the logic behind it.

Brian Norman Sr. questioned where the stopping narrative is supposed to come from, especially if the fight turns on volume rather than raw power. Responding to Zab Judah’s prediction of a knockout win for Stevenson, Norman pointed to recent examples of high-output fights, noting that activity alone has not been a defining part of Stevenson’s profile.

Norman referenced bouts where opponents exceeded 1,000 punches thrown, suggesting that if Stevenson were to force a stoppage, it would likely need to come from power rather than sustained pressure. That, in his view, remains an open question at this weight.

He also dismissed comparisons to past stoppages, arguing that they came under specific circumstances and do not necessarily translate upward. The comments stop short of predicting an outcome, but they highlight a growing split in how the fight is being framed — whether it’s about control and points, or whether expectations of a knockout are being stretched to fit a narrative.

“Claggett threw a 1000+ punches, and Teo threw 1000+ punches. He thinks the power is going to,” said Norman Sr. to MillCity Boxing, reacting to Zab Judah predicting a knockout win for Shakur Stevenson over Teofimo Lopez on January 31st.

“I’m trying to figure out is it the power [of Shakur] that is going to stop him, because it’s not going to be activity. Claggett threw over 1000 punches. That’s not something Shakur has ever done. That means, he’s going to have to go to power.

For now, it remains a debate rather than evidence.