O’Shaquie Foster is picking Teofimo Lopez to defeat Shakur Stevenson in 2026 in their potential light welterweight clash. The WBC super featherweight champion Foster says Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs) is a bad style matchup for Shakur.
Shakur’s Lack of Two-Handed Power
Foster states that Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) lacks the two-handed power to defeat WBO light welterweight champion Lopez. For this type of fighter, Shakur would need to possess punching power with both his left and right hands.
“That’s a bad style matchup for Shakur. He likes to be the most athletic guy in the ring. When he’s not, he has problems. Does he have a solid left hand? You’ve seen him throw it, but you’ve never seen him hurt or knock anybody out with it,” said O’Shaquie Foster to Fighthype, analyzing the Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson fight.
Shakur is strong with right hooks to the body, but he’s not able to generate power when going to the head with that hand. Moreover, his left hand hasn’t been shown to be a weapon that he can use to hurt his opponents with. It resembles a jab in power, and he’s not able to keep his opponents off of him with that hand. That’s one of the reasons why Stevenson moves so much.
Lopez Brings Speed and Dynamite
Going up against Teofimo is going to be a big problem for Shakur because he can punch with power with both hands. He also has fast hands and is highly mobile when he wants to. Stevenson doesn’t have the weapons to match the power that Teo possesses, and he’s not going to be able to win by just jabbing.
“When you meet certain guys, you’re going to need to rely on both of those hands. I see Teo beating him,” said Foster.
What Shakur will obviously be doing is landing jabs and potshots all night. He’ll likely fight the way he did against Edwin De Los Santos by hitting and then fleeing to prevent Lopez from countering with his big punches. Depending on how much running Shakur does, it could be a very boring fight that fans will boo.
Running Won’t Save Stevenson This Time
He is going to be forced to run, though, because Teofimo hits harder than his last opponent, William Zepeda. So, he can’t just rest with his back against the ropes, trying to pick off headshots all night. The judges didn’t seem to focus on all the body shots that Zepeda was landing on him.
If they had, he would have lost because Zepeda was treating Shakur like a human pincushion, landing numerous body shots. Teofimo might need a knockout if the judges are only focused on the headshots.
