WBC world super-featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster, who has previously sparred Shakur Stevenson, has offered his assessment of the American’s upcoming showdown with Teofimo Lopez.
Their mouth-watering super-lightweight encounter will take place on January 31 at Madison Square Garden, New York, with Stevenson looking to become a four-division world champion.
The 28-year-old was last seen outpointing William Zepeda, his then-mandatory challenger, with a comprehensive performance to retain his WBC lightweight title in July.
In that particular contest, Stevenson was able to demonstrate an impressive blend of slick movement and educated inside fighting, often electing to trade with his busy opponent in the pocket.
In doing so, the crafty southpaw formulated an effective gameplan against a relentless pressure fighter – someone known for his immense output – but must now find a way to negate the sheer athleticism of Lopez.
While not being the most consistent of world champions in recent years, Lopez is nonetheless capable of producing a dynamic and explosive performance when the occasion demands it.
Against Vasyl Lomachenko, for instance, ‘The Takeover’ was able to swiftly gain his opponent’s respect, landing a series of thudding right hands, and would often throw from unorthodox angles to disrupt the Ukrainian’s tempo. He looked similarly impressive against Josh Taylor, however underwhelming showings against the likes of Sandor Martin leave fans guessing which version will show up. Lopez’s last outing, a UD over Arnold Barboza, was impressive again.
One fighter who sees Lopez – a betting underdog – successfully defending his WBO title is Foster, who, while speaking with FightHype, suggests that the 28-year-old’s athleticism could prove a key advantage against Stevenson.
“Styles make fights. I think that’s a bad style matchup for Shakur. Shakur, he likes to be the most athletic guy in the ring. When he’s not, he has problems.
“He’s a right-handed fighter out of the southpaw stance. So, when you’re meeting guys that have athleticism, and fight with their strong hand at the back, you’re going to have to rely on more than just your jab [as] the range finder.
“Does [Stevenson] have a solid left hand? You’ve seen him throw it but you’ve never seen him knock nobody out with it … So I just think that when you meet certain guys, that’s why I say the style, you meet certain guys you’re going to have to rely on both of them hands and I just think it’s a bad style match-up for him. I see Teofimo beating him.”
From a tactical perspective, it does seem as though this could be a battle between the jab of Stevenson – sharp; accurate – and the sneaky, but no less spiteful, right hand of Lopez.
