Teofimo Lopez reacts to dreadful Shakur Stevenson defeat

Teo Lopez claims: “I was playing too much to his game”

Shakur Stevenson (25-0, 11 KO’s) proved he was in a league of his own on Saturday, dominating Teofimo Lopez (22-0, 13 KO’s) across twelve rounds.

Stevenson cemented himself as a four-division world champion, stifling any attempt at a comeback from Lopez as he navigated his way to a resounding victory. 

Heading into the matchup, Stevenson found himself a slight favourite, though it was expected to be a close battle; the resulting 12 rounds were far from that. 

Stevenson toyed with his opponent, dropping two rounds at most; all three judges scored the bout 119-109.

Speaking following his defeat, Lopez showed true humility in his setback.

“I was too focused on one particular thing [instead of] really enjoying what I could see opening,” Lopez told The Stomping Ground. 

“I was catching him with the body shots a lot, that was effective, but [I needed] more combinations. I did poorly [by] not listening to my team. That’s on me. Take it on the chin. My team did a phenomenal job, they had great guidelines and instructions, I just didn’t listen tonight … I knew about his jab … I was playing too much to his game, that’s all.”

He went on to reveal that he has a hard time appreciating what he has already achieved in his career. The 28-year-old boasts incredible victories over Vasily Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, but struggles to distance his achievements from any setbacks he faces. 

“[Being here] is an accomplishment in itself. Where do we take it now? We’ll see. I think it’s more of healing this cut and getting back to the drawing board. See where we go, if I move up, what I do next.”

“No, not at all [I don’t appreciate what I’ve done in my career]. I hate myself for it, but it’s part of it. It’s just part of the life. I don’t appreciate it. I think that I get butchered and I think God punishes me a lot for it. I’m just a punching bag to that. Maybe one day I’ll get to that, but not yet. It’s all good. I just never got my fair share. Not once, man. But, hey, that’s just my journey. I just gotta keep it moving … We’ll be back in some way, some form … I’m in a good position to be here and take it on the chin like a real champ.”