Is Beating Teofimo Lopez Enough To Make Shakur Stevenson Top-5 P4P?

Teofimo at 140

The titles Lopez won at 140 were against Josh Taylor, who had come off a questionable win over Jack Catterall and has now lost three fights in a row. Teofimo barely outpointed Taylor via a 12-round unanimous decision, and he didn’t look good in his last fight against Arnold Barboza Jr. last May.

Lopez has not shown the same level of performance at light welterweight as he did at 135, when he had a size advantage over his opponents.

“Choose this fight to challenge myself. Dare to be great, and I will. The only way to achieve true greatness is by taking high risks. These moments will turn me into a legend. Let’s go for it!! #ShakurTeofimo,” Shakur Stevenson said on X about his title fight against Teofimo Lopez.

“For me and my family, I want to eat forever. Absolutely, no doubt,” Shakur told Breadkfast Club 105.1 about the money he will receive for his fight against Teofimo Lopez on January 31.

“I think it would take me to a whole other level,” Stevenson said about what a win over Teofimo would do for his career. “On that pound for pound basis, you would have to put me in the top five after beating Teo.”

What winning really means

Beating Teofimo wouldn’t take Shakur’s career to a “whole other level” in the truest sense. It will be from Surface smoke and mirrorsfighting a man who is a shell of the fighter he once was since he reached 140.

Hardcore fans who follow the sport closely and scrutinize the opposition, as Nation Vegas does, can easily see that Lopez has not been fighting the best of the best since arriving at light welterweight. Turki Al-Sheikh would be a real powerhouse for the fans if he insisted on Shakur fighting Gary Antoine Russell or Subriel Mathias. These two hold belts at 140 and fight at a high level.

“I feel like Teo should have been undisputed. This guy is brilliant and will be one of the best fighters on my resume,” Stevenson said of Lopez.

What Shakur is talking about is Teofimo beating WBA/WBO/WBC lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020, and not giving him credit for being the undisputed champion. He was unable to capture the WBC regular 135-pound belt, which was held by Devin Haney at the time.

Did Lopez slip up?

It wouldn’t have mattered if Teofimo had captured Undisputed five years earlier. The truth is, he hasn’t looked like the same fighter since he turned 140 in 2021. Lopez lost to Jorge Kambosos, who was involved in two controversial decisions against Jamin Ortiz and Sandor Martin.

Tests better at 140

More importantly, Teofimo chose for whatever reason not to fight these high-level fighters:

• Ernesto Mercado
• Gary Antoine Russell
• Richardson Hitchens
• Alberto Puello
• Subriel Mathias
• Keshawn Davis

Shakur doesn’t make the top five worth a pound if he beats Teofimo. He has not shown himself to be among the best at light welterweight as he has chosen not to fight the top guys.

Lopez’s choice of Pedro Campa, Sandor Martin, Josh Taylor, Arnold Barboza Jr. and Steve Clagett suggests he was protecting his career by facing fewer threats. If Shakur wants to be added to the P4P roster, he must focus on fighting the aforementioned untouchables, starting with Ernesto Mercado. Let’s see how Shakur does against him.