Teofimo Lopez Addresses Shakur Stevenson’s Behaviour at Final Press Conference

Teofimo Lopez left Thursday’s final press conference having clearly chosen his role.

While Shakur Stevenson leaned into confrontation during their face off, including verbal threats and a brief moment where officials had to intervene, Lopez allowed the exchange to play out without responding in kind. He stayed in place, did not escalate, and addressed the moment only after the event had ended.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Lopez explained that Stevenson’s behaviour reinforced his view of how the fight has been presented.

He pointed to Stevenson’s language on stage and said it crossed a line between promotion and conduct. Lopez said professional boxing should not resemble a street altercation and suggested Stevenson’s approach reflected a lack of discipline rather than intensity.

Lopez also referenced a past off ring incident involving Stevenson, saying it was difficult for him to separate the threats made on stage from behaviour he had seen before. He did not revisit the details at length.

“Every time he says he’s going to beat my [backside], that right there is what comes back to my mind, is that video. That’s evil, though. That’s really evil,” said Teofimo, talking to the media about Stevenson after Thursday’s final press conference.

Teofimo did not dwell on the incident itself. His comments stayed focused on how fighters are expected to carry themselves at this level. That difference in approach was visible throughout the final press conference.

Stevenson adopted an aggressive posture and spoke directly to Lopez during the face off. Lopez did not respond verbally at the moment. He waited until afterward to speak, and when he did, he framed the exchange as something he wanted no part of.

At a stage when fighters often mirror each other’s energy, Lopez chose not to. His comments positioned him as the one rejecting escalation rather than feeding it.

Whether that dynamic carries into the fight remains to be seen. For the final press conference, though, the roles were clearly defined, and Lopez appeared comfortable letting Stevenson occupy the other side of it.