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WBC super featherweight world champion O’Shaquie Foster, who previously faced Shakur Stevenson, has given his assessment of the American’s upcoming showdown with Teofimo Lopez.
Their mouth-watering welterweight encounter will take place on January 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York.Stevenson seeking to become a four-division world champion.
The 28-year-old was last seen outplaying William Zepeda.his then mandatory challenger, with a complete performance to retain his WBC lightweight title in July.
In this particular contest, Stevenson was able to demonstrate an impressive blend of fluid movement and learned inside fighting, often choosing to exchange with his opponent busy in the pocket.
In doing so, the crafty southpaw has formulated an effective game plan against a relentless pressure fighter – someone known for his immense production – but now must find a way to nullify Lopez’s athleticism.
While not the most consistent world champion in recent years, Lopez is nonetheless capable of producing a dynamic and explosive performance when the occasion demands it.
Against Vasyl Lomachenko, for example, “The Takeover” quickly managed to earn his opponent’s respect, landing a series of loud right hands, and often throwing at unorthodox angles to disrupt the Ukrainian’s rhythm. He looked equally impressive against Josh Taylor, but a disappointing performance against Sandor Martin has fans guessing which version will appear. Lopez’s last outing, a UD against Arnold Barboza, was impressive again.
One fighter who sees Lopez – a betting underdog – successfully defend his WBO title is Foster, who while speaking with CombatHypesuggests the 28-year-old’s athleticism could prove a key advantage against Stevenson.
“Styles make fights. I think it’s a bad style match for Shakur. Shakur, he likes to be the most athletic guy in the ring. When he’s not, he has problems.
“He’s a right-handed fighter coming from the southpaw stance. So when you meet guys who have athleticism and fight with their strong back hand, you’re going to have to rely on more than just your jab. [as] the rangefinder.
“Do [Stevenson] do you have a strong left hand? You’ve seen him throw but you’ve never seen him knock anyone out with it… So I just think when you meet certain guys, that’s why I say style, you meet certain guys, you’re going to have to rely on both hands and I just think it’s a bad style matchup for him. I see Teofimo beating him.
From a tactical standpoint, it looks like this could be a battle between Stevenson’s jab – sharp; precise – and Lopez’s sneaky, but no less nasty, right hand man.
