By: Sean Crose
They’re each wonderful fighters, however just one can emerge victorious. There’s a cause why this Saturday’s throwdown between WBC junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez and light-weight king Shakur Stevenson has bought out Madison Sq. Backyard – it’s an enormous deal. There’s much more driving at stake right here than a world title. Each Lopez and Stevenson are clearly large names inside the sport, however there’s an opportunity one will emerge an outright star this weekend. And whereas it may not have the makings of an Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello model junior welterweight thriller, it guarantees an fascinating conflict of types nonetheless.
At 24 years of age, Stevenson has solely stopped 11 opponents in a profession that has spanned 24 fights. That’s as a result of knockouts don’t make up a lot of Stevenson’s repertoire. The person depends on a single easy technique which up to now has led to victory after victory: Hit and Not Get Hit. To look at the person within the ring is to observe an almost pure type of fluidity. He slips out of vary, lands in combos, and dominates through the use of a superb southpaw jab.
A research of Lopez is a little more sophisticated. The fighter generally known as The Takeover began out as a knockout machine, ending fights with thudding energy whereas drawing consideration as one of many brasher practitioners of a really brash sport. An upset win over Vasyl Lomachenko about 5 years again put Lopez means up on boxing’s Mount Olympus. But a subsequent beautiful defeat on the gloved arms of George Kambosos put a sudden cease to the person’s momentum. A pile of wins have returned Lopez to – or practically to – his excessive perch. He’s an especially expert fighter, Lopez, one thing that compensates for his seeming lack of energy now that he fights at junior welterweight.
So who wins on Saturday evening? I could also be laughed out of the combat writing enterprise for this, however I favor Lopez. Why? As a result of he’s greater and stronger than Stevenson. Extra importantly, nonetheless, is the very fact Lopez is a terrific counterpuncher. Responding successfully to Stevenson’s flurries ought to alleviate the velocity benefit Stevenson brings into the ring. Bear in mind, Stevenson has by no means fought at this weight earlier than. He’s additionally by no means confronted an opponent of Lopez’ caliber. It should merely be a case of an excessive amount of suddenly for Stevenson. As long as he stays constant all through the bout, I feel the evening will belong to Lopez, courtesy of a break up choice victory.
