Bradley Praises Shakur, But Fans Want Action On PPV

Tim Bradley expressed his admiration for the “great fundamentals” Shakur Stevenson will display against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on January 31 in Episode 6.

Will the fans stop working?

Bradley believes fans will be in for a real treat watching Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) wrestle all night long in this headline fight. DAZN PPV. The price of the event is still unclear.

Since this is on pay-per-view, fans will want to see action in the main event, not the chess match that Bradley is looking forward to watching. Fans want smashed faces and blood, not technical chess matches from a fighter using old school style.

“Shakur Stevenson, you already know what he brings to the ring. Defense first. Shakur Stevenson, you already know what he brings to the ring,” Tim Bradley said on his channel, speaking about Shakur Stevenson’s title challenge against Teofimo Lopez. Defense first. You won’t get anything. “I’ll get what I have when I get it, but you won’t get anything.”

Unless Shakur chooses to fight consistently like he did against William Zepeda, he will continue to fight from distance all night long, hitting and landing single shots. If Lopez is aggressive, which he usually isn’t, it will be an entertaining match to watch.

This is not his style. He’s the opposite of Zepeda. Stevenson chose not to run away from him, because he would be tracked down if he tried.

“You may find this fight boring, but it’s going to be an artistic fight that I can’t wait to see. I can’t wait to see this fight,” Bradley said.

Well, fans are hoping this isn’t an “art fight”, because they want excitement, not a repeat of the boring battles on the Times Square card earlier this year in New York. That was the card on which Teofimo battled his way to a boring 12-round decision over Arnold Barboza Jr.

Younger fans want chaos

Bradley is an example of the older generation of fans who enjoyed Mayweather’s style. The younger generation has no patience for boring chess matches that depend on the principle of “hit and don’t be hit.” They view pure boxers as being from a bygone generation that is best forgotten. For boxing to compete in this day and age, it must include recreational fighters. This is just reality.

“You will see great fundamentals [Shakur Stevenson’s hit-and-don’t get-hit] “Versus those explosive things,” Bradley said.

Teofimo did not look explosive in his last fight against Barboza Jr. He was using the same defensive style as Shakur. The last time Lopez appeared explosive was in 2019, when he knocked out Richard Commey in the second round. He hasn’t looked explosive in any of his fights in the past six years.