Teofimo Lopez believes his loss to Shakur Stevenson would have played out differently with a better approach, admitting his tactics fell short on the night. The former unified champion kept his assessment direct, pointing to execution rather than ability.
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“Any other night if I do what I wanted to do, it’d be a different story,” Teofimo said on Carl Froch’s channel.
Teofimo said the defeat came down to a flawed strategy and a departure from the style that has defined his success.
“I just went with the wrong plan. I tried something quick. Not the right person to do that with,” said Lopez.
Teofimo said that he was unable to establish the basics that usually anchor his performances, including his movement and control of range.
“I was too flat. Way too flat. I didn’t have no footwork, and I’m known for my footwork.”
While avoiding outright excuses, Teofimo suggested not everything around him was working as it should during the fight.
“There’s no excuses, but just not having my coach properly focused also aligned with the result.”
Teofimo also claimed there were moments in the fight that went unpunished.
“There was a lot of illegal things that he was doing, but the ref wasn’t calling any of it.”
Despite the loss, Teofimo made clear he has no intention of revisiting the result and is instead targeting a move up in weight.
“I look forward to moving up to 147 and claiming new divisions and new world titles,” said Lopez.
The comments leave open the possibility that Teofimo still sees a path to beating Stevenson, even as he prepares to pursue new challenges at welterweight.
There is a disconnect between Teofimo’s wrong game plan narrative and the actual physical mismatch we saw in the ring.
William Zepeda provided a high-volume, suffocating pressure that forced the technician Shakur to work every second of every round in their fight last year. Teofimo, by contrast, is a low-volume counterpuncher who relies on explosive athletic bursts.
When those bursts were neutralized 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 stiff jab from Shakur. Without a consistent inside game or the willingness to eat two shots to land one, he was effectively stranded on the outside.
Teofimo’s claim that better footwork would have changed things ignores that Shakur is arguably the best in the sport at managing distance. Footwork only works if you have the volume to back it up; otherwise, you’re just moving into better angles for your opponent.
Last Updated on 2026/05/01 at 2:13 PM
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