“It was a horrible fight,” Lopez Sr. said to Fight Hub TV. “It was more mental.”
Lopez Sr. said his son had become frustrated by what he viewed as a lack of recognition for his accomplishments, including being left out of many pound-for-pound rankings despite winning world titles in multiple weight classes.
He also claimed Teofimo’s mindset changed during fight week after a tense press conference.
“What really killed my son, I think, was the press conference,” Lopez Sr. said. “Saturday at three in the morning, I went upstairs, and he was gone. His face wasn’t as happy as he was the first four days. He was going to destroy Shakur. He was focused.”
Lopez Sr. said the performance that followed was unlike anything he had seen from his son, pointing to his inability to avoid Stevenson’s jab.
“My son is a slick boxer,” he said. “He didn’t slip a jab. My son doesn’t get hit with the same punch twice or three times. He got hit with that jab all night.”
Although he congratulated Stevenson on the victory, Lopez Sr. quickly returned to criticizing the unbeaten champion. He dismissed Stevenson’s title résumé, calling two of his championships “bacon belts,” and argued that Teofimo has won more legitimate world titles.
“He’s only won two world titles with a real world champion,” Lopez Sr. said. “This will be our third title fight for three divisions with a world champion.”
Lopez Sr. also questioned Stevenson’s long-term drawing power.
“He’s a boring fighter. Nobody going to see him,” he said. “Let’s see who’s on top five years from now.”
The comments came as Teofimo Jr. officially begins his move to the welterweight division, where he will challenge Rolly for the WBA title despite coming off the loss to Shakur. A victory would make Lopez a three-division world champion and put him back into the title picture after suffering one of the most disappointing defeats of his career.
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