Andre Ward has removed any bias from the equation and offered his final prediction for Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson.
The intriguing super-lightweight contest will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night, with Lopez making the fourth defence of his WBO title.
Despite being the defending champion, the 28-year-old’s rather unspectacular run of form has contributed to his underdog status against Stevenson, who looks to become a four-division world champion.
While Lopez produced scintillating performances against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor in 2020 and 2023, respectively, his points victories over the likes of Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz, for instance, were ultimately far less impressive.
One department where ‘The Takeover’ is perhaps superior to Stevenson, though, is athleticism, which many feel could be a significant factor in their contest.
Stevenson’s key advantages, meanwhile, stem more from a technical standpoint, with his sharp jab and defensive prowess often allowing him to outbox opponents through 12 rounds.
In his last outing, against William Zepeda, the slick southpaw demonstrated those strengths while, at the same time, opting to trade in the pocket with his relentless opponent.
And while Stevenson is unlikely to implement the same tactics against Lopez, his versatile performance nonetheless showed that he has plenty of strings to his bow.
One man who certainly seems to think so is Hall of Famer Ward, who told Froch On Fighting that he predicts a points victory for his long-time friend.
“I’m going with my little brother no matter what. That’s my brother. [But] if you take Shakur being family out of it, I’m still picking Shakur.
“Probably [on] points, because Teo’s also not a dude that just sits around and takes a lot of punches. He moves [and] he’s got [good] defence and skill.”
Regardless of Ward’s prediction, the explosiveness and athleticism of Lopez could certainly cause Stevenson problems, especially if the Brooklyn man is able initiate a series of frenetic exchanges.
