Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson: Styles Make Fights Fitting Cliche

Teofimo Lopez meets Shakur Stevenson in a meaningful fight on Saturday night. One of the oldest clichés in boxing is “styles make fights”. That saying gets used across many sports, just like so many other clichés that trace back to boxing.

In this matchup between Lopez and Stevenson, the “styles make fights” is a perfect fit. This main event, along with an interesting undercard, will be streaming live on DAZN PPV, promoted by Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn, with the financial backing from the Ring.

Teofimo Lopez’s rise to the top of the ladder at lightweight came in spectacular fashion. With 12 stoppages in 15 fights leading up to his lineal shot against Vasyl Lomachenko. The way Lopez dismantled a quality boxer in Richard Commey was undeniably impressive. Although Lomachenko did close the gap in the second half, the way Teofimo Lopez cleanly won the first chunk of rounds was eye opening. The win and overall performance as a 3 to 1 underdog was icing on the cake.

Much of the lofty expectations and buzz Lopez had has now worn off. Don’t get this boxing podcaster wrong; Teo still had a respectable win over Josh Taylor for the 140 lineal title and beat a quality operator in Arnold Barboza last May. Beyond his one blemish in a loss to George Kambosos, Teofimo has close wins over Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz. Wins that still count in the victory column, no doubt, but foreshadow an issue heading into his bout with Shakur.

Speaking of Shakur Stevenson, it took a little while, as it does for many talented amateur boxers, to adapt to the pros. Many folks in the boxing sphere were higher on Michael Conlan, for example, in the early stages over Stevenson. That soon changed, and it was obvious as Shakur began to develop that he would be a handful to deal with at the top level. His coming out party came in a dominant display against Oscar Valdez. As is the case with Teo, much of the hype from boxing media types or fanboys claiming Stevenson was the second coming of Andre Ward or Floyd Mayweather has turned into doubt. Most of that comes down to the way Shakur approaches fights, putting emphasis on winning rather than entertainment.

Breaking down the meat and potatoes for this intriguing style matchup, the jab, as always, is a great starting point. This boxing junkie sounds like a broken record talking about the jab, but in this case, one could argue it will be the biggest factor for predicting the outcome. Teofimo Lopez, like many boxers, has a good jab, which he will use throughout fights as a measure stick and a tool to land power punches. For Shakur, it’s a way of life and the main reason, beyond defense and footwork, he will win on Saturday.

Shakur uses his jab for a variety of reasons and is highly effective with it, giving him a sizable advantage in this category. Both men can be defensive or safe, to the point it slows the pace of fights down to a snail’s pace. Teofimo is more reflex based on defense, whereas Shakur’s defense is far more fundamental. Lopez’s footwork is flashy, and he is quick footed. We’ve seen Shakur backup in straight lines, which will be key for Teo. If Teo can back up Stevenson in straight lines and trap him on the ropes, it favors him greatly.

Lopez is a tremendous counter or one-shot puncher and athletically explosive. That said, cutting off the ring versus an outside boxer will be a huge hurdle to overcome. If Sandor Martin or, for that matter, Kambosos can show us the path to beat Teofimo, Shakur can execute the game plan to a higher plateau. Lopez needs a guy to be the aggressor for him to employ his best attributes. If Shakur stays disciplined with his footwork by avoiding the ropes and maintaining a decent punch output, he will win.

Betting wise, Teofimo Lopez is slated as a live dog at +230 to +270. If you don’t have a good feel for the exact outcome, the money line is a great value for Lopez, especially as a hedge bet. The odds that either guy gets stopped are very slim. Lopez can be had for +460 by decision. Shakur –250 by decision, which is favorable compared to the –400 money line. This bout will likely be a bit slow, so each clean land will mean a ton to the judges’ scorecards.

My Official prediction is Shakur Stevenson by decision.

PODCAST LINK: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rope-a-dope-radio-podcast/id1794655742?i=1000747303017

Side Note: The RING/DAZN PPV undercard consists of Keyshawn Davis vs. Jamaine Ortiz and Bruce Carrington vs. Carlos Castro. Also, this weekend’s main events include Xander Zayas vs. Abass Baraou on Top Rank Classics Channels, Flores vs. Castillo on ProBoxTV, Murtazaliev vs Kelly on DAZN, and Valenzuela vs Torres on Paramount+.

Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, The Grueling Truth Sports Network, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio