Teofimo Lopez believes his loss to Shakur Stevenson would have played out differently for the better, admitting his tactics fell flat on the night. The former joint champion kept his assessment to the point, pointing out that the execution was strong.
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“Any other night if I do what I want to do, it would be a different story,” said Teofimo on Carl Froch’s channel.
Teofimo said the defeat came from a wrong strategy and abandoning the style that defined his success.
“I just went with the wrong plan. I tried something fast. Not the right person to do that with,” Lopez said.
Teofimo said he was unable to develop the fundamentals that often focus his performance, including his movement and range control.
“I was very flat, very flat, I had no footwork, and I’m known for my footwork.”
While avoiding specific excuses, Teofimo suggested that not everything around him worked as it should during the war.
“There are no excuses, but my coach’s lack of focus is also related to the result.”
Teofimo also said that there are times in war that go unpunished.
“There were many illegal things he was doing, but the lawyer didn’t say anything about them.”
Despite the loss, Teofimo made it clear that he has no intention of looking back at the result and instead intends to move up in weight.
“I’m looking forward to moving up to 147 and finding new divisions and new world titles,” said Lopez.
The comments make it clear that Teofimo still sees a way to defeat Stevenson, as he prepares to pursue new challenges at welterweight.
There’s a disconnect between the misrepresentation of Teofimo’s game plan and the real-world mismatch we’ve seen in the ring.
William Zepeda provided high-volume, crushing pressure that forced professional Shakur to work every second of every round in their fight last year. Teofimo, in contrast, is a low-volume opposing player who relies on explosive play.
While that burst was powered by Shakur’s lead hand control and lateral movement, Teofimo didn’t have a Plan B.
Every time Teofimo tried to close the gap, he ran into a hard jab from Shakur. Without a consistent inside game or a willingness to eat two shots to get one, he was locked out.
Teofimo’s claim that a better footwork would have changed things ignores that Shakur is arguably the best in the sport at controlling distances. Footwork only works if you have the volume to support it; otherwise, you simply move to better angles for your opponent.
Last updated on 2026/05/01 at 2:13 PM
