Shakur Stevenson humbled and humiliated Teofimo Lopez with boxing's version of a perfect game Saturday night, snatching the WBO junior welterweight title by wiping out Teofimo Lopez with a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) had promised to make the fight with Lopez look easy and did just that with all three judges scoring the fight 119-109. In the process, Stevenson became the fastest fighter to become a four-division champion.
"I picked him apart and did what I was supposed to do," Stevenson said. "This is the art of boxing -- hit and don't get hit and pick guys apart. I told you all I'm the best fighter on the planet and I stand by that."
Stevenson, 28, long believed he had been overlooked and disrespected despite his accolades as an Olympic silver medalist and three-division champion. He watched as his peers such as Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Lopez received acclaim while he felt he was criticized for a safety-first style that rarely led to him losing rounds. He was forced into a co-main event against William Zepeda last July just to prove that he could make exciting fights.
Heading into Saturday night, Stevenson told ESPN that his performance would force the world to accept and respect him.
He did just that, putting on a master class against a fellow pound-for-pound fighter in a matchup between two young fighters at their respective peaks.
Stevenson, who entered the fight as ESPN's No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter, made the move to 140 pounds after holding world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight, conceding what was thought to be a size advantage to Lopez, ESPN's No. 10 ranked pound-for-pound fighter.
Lopez (22-2, 18 KOs) came into the fight as the lineal junior welterweight champion, holding wins over former undisputed champion Josh Taylor and future hall of famer Vasiliy Lomachenko. He promised to crack the code of Stevenson's brilliant defense and berated his opponent in the buildup to the fight.
None of it mattered, as Lopez struggled to mount any significant offense against Stevenson, who stood right in front of him and dissected him with relative ease.
Behind a thumping jab and quick-twitch reflexes, Stevenson tamed the aggressive Lopez from the opening bell. Rather than move around the ring, Stevenson held court in the center of the ring, picking Lopez apart and demoralizing him as the rounds wore on. Lopez's father and trainer was befuddled and resorted to urging his son on rather than offering any useful instructions.
"I've been seeing it on tape," Stevenson said. "I watched him and I knew my jab was going to kill him. I told everybody before the fight. I said they're going to say I got the best jab in boxing after this fight because I saw where he was weak at and I capitalized.
"I felt like I was a stronger fighter. I felt like I was faster. I was smarter and I was sharper."
Lopez was desperate for answers but never stopped trying. After six rounds he was outlanded 78-23 but continued to throw punches and had his bell rung several times by Stevenson's counterpunching whenever he rushed in and had a cut opened over his left eye.
By the end of the fight, Stevenson's brilliance glowed statistically. He landed 165 of 372 punches (44%) compared with 72 of 468 (15%) for Lopez.
"Every dog has his day," a humbled Lopez said in defeat. "So, congratulations to Shakur."
Following the win, Stevenson challenged Conor Benn, who last fought Chris Eubank Jr. at 160 pounds in November. While the move to 140 pounds was another jump in weight for Stevenson, it appears he is not done taking risks to pursue the toughest challenges out there as he aims to be recognized as the best fighter in the world.
