Teddy Atlas has not ruled out an upset victory tomorrow night, believing that Teofimo Lopez could match Shakur Stevenson for athleticism and possibly even skill.
The pair will square off at Madison Square Garden, New York, with Lopez making the fourth defence of his WBO world title.
It was back in 2023 that ‘The Takeover’ outpointed Josh Taylor and became the top dog at 140lbs, before defending his strap against Jamaine Ortiz, Steve Claggett and Arnold Barboza Jr.
Many feel that the Brooklyn man delivered a career-best performance to dethrone Taylor, while others believe he looked even more impressive against Vasyl Lomachenko.
It was considered an almighty upset, in 2020, when Lopez outpointed ‘The Matrix’ and cemented himself as the king at 135lbs, only to lose his crown to George Kambosos Jr the following year.
But while Lopez shone brightly against both Taylor and Lomachenko, he has largely struggled to produce those same fireworks in several of his other outings.
According to Atlas, this can be explained by the 28-year-old’s mindset, which has often varied depending on the level of opponent he is facing.
One would suspect that Lopez is firing on all cylinders ahead of his clash with Stevenson, though, and if he is, then Atlas can see their showdown unfolding in a highly competitive manner.
Speaking on THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, the Hall of Fame trainer and analyst refuses to reject the possibility of an upset.
“Where is [Lopez] mentally? He’s up and down. His father’s been with him the whole career.
“Love him [or] hate him, his father’s been part of getting him to these world titles. [But Lopez has] been up and down, mentally.
“Where’s he going to be [against Stevenson]? He seemed to be in a very good place when he fought Lomachenko.
“If he’s in a good place, I think this could be the first time that Shakur Stevenson has somebody who can match him with athletic ability.
“[Lopez] could force Shakur out of his comfort zone. I know this sounds ridiculous, but he could possibly even match Shakur [for] boxing [skills], and pull off what would be an upset.”
While Lopez is the defending champion, Stevenson, who looks to become a four-weight world champion, has been made a sizable favourite ahead of their encounter.
