On the Doorstep of Destiny: Lopez v Stevenson Preview and Prediction

After years of calling out the foremost figures for a career-defining fight, the undefeated Shakur Stevenson will finally get his star-making shot when he squares off with WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez at the iconic Madison Square Garden on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

Teofimo Lopez (3.40) v Shakur Stevenson (1.33) (WBO Super Lightweight Championship)

6 AM Sunday SA time

It’s one of the biggest fights of the year at the world’s Most Famous Arena.

It’s title versus streak, and for Stevenson, the opportunity to earn the stardom a boxer of his ilk deserves.

The fight business is anything but fair. Boxing especially so.

Very rarely does a boxer who does everything right, who has a singular focus of perfecting his craft, of paying his dues and rising up the right way – the old school way of facing the best available opposition at every turn – get to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

See, in boxing, cash is king, and marketability often trumps ability. That’s why a loudmouth with limited skills like YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul gets big platforms like Netflix and massive paydays rather than a young boxing genius like Stevenson.

True fans of the sweet science know and respect Stevenson for the great fighter he is, but ask casual fans, and few would be familiar with his fantastic work. For the uninitiated, Stevenson isn’t new to this, he’s true to this. He’s a three-division champion out to become a four-division king in this, his first fight at super lightweight.

A conqueror with class, he became champion at 126-, 130- and 135 pounds, proving himself emphatically as one of the very best boxers in the world. Driven by greatness, he started calling out the top dogs in terms of skill and star power, from Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney to Ryan Garcia and Vasiliy Lomachenko. None of them wanted the smoke with Stevenson.

“Fearless” remained determined and continued to chip away at what he believes is his destiny, beating everyone who was put in front of him, including the previously undefeated William Zepeda, who he thwarted by decision last July to retain his WBC lightweight title and extend his perfect record to 24-0 with 11 knockouts.

The 28-year-old’s persistence has finally paid off with Lopez, a member of the upper echelon of stars, giving Stevenson a shot at his WBO super lightweight belt and his ticket to the big time.

“I’ve been thinking about fighting him since the amateurs,” Stevenson said during a recent face-to-face conversation with Lopez on DAZN. “I admired the type of boxer he was. He had the skillset to shine. I wanted to see myself against that. … If you look in and around my weight class, I can’t get the other fighters to get in the ring.

“A lot of people didn’t give me the opportunity to show greatness. A lot of fighters either ducked or found the business way not to get in front of me. Teo gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve been building my career, and the moment has come. Teofimo was willing to do it, and now we’re here. I’m turned up. Let’s go get it,” he added.

Lopez, indeed, possesses a warrior spirit, one that drives him to chase challenges over cash and clout, as highlighted by his victories over Lomachenko and Josh Taylor. For this fight, he’s risking a lot and enters the clash as the underdog, despite having racked up six straight wins since his only career loss against George Kambosos Jr.

“The Takeover”, whose record stands at 22-1 with 13 knockouts, is confident in his abilities and is out to give Stevenson a “rude awakening.”

“It’s the best fighting the best. You see Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez fighting each other, and you want to emulate that,” Lopez explained. “Shakur is a great fighter. We can’t say we are the best and not test it. My goal is to defend my throne. I can’t call it ‘The Takeover’ and have someone take it over.”

Stylistically, Stevenson resembles Neo from “The Matrix”. The southpaw is ultra-elusive, able to dodge bullets left and right, and one of the pre-eminent counter-punchers in the world. Controlling the rhythm and the range at which the fight is contested is his MO.

However, he’s also able to adapt, and vows to seize the moment this weekend. “I fight whatever style is needed to win. I hope they expect a better version of me on fight night. I want to prove how great I am. After I get out of the ring, I want everyone to talk about how I am that guy. I am coming to put on a show.”

The orthodox Lopez, who’s the same age as his challenger, is more aggressive, powerful and explosive than Stevenson. While more than capable of fighting at distance, his danger zone is mid-range, where he can leverage his dynamism and land hard, compact combinations.

As the challenger, it’ll be up to Stevenson to take the fight to the champion. Therefore, he’ll be forced to tweak his style and, perhaps, be willing to take calculated risks if needed. While he’s the one moving up, he’s the same height as Lopez and doesn’t have any meaningful reach disadvantage (just half an inch).

This should be an excellent fight. Ultimately, Stevenson is the more complete boxer with a broader scope of tactical nous and defensive brilliance, which should see him outpoint Lopez to claim his fourth world title and enjoy his breakout moment.

Prediction: Stevenson by decision.

Best Bet: Stevenson by decision at 1.50.