Gary Antuanne is siding with Teofimo Lopez to defeat Shakur Stevenson if he can fight the way he did when he defeated Vasily Lomachenko five years ago. He says Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) has got to be “ready” for him to defeat the highly technical Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs).
Can Teo Still Fight Like 2020?
The aggressive, seek-and-destroy Lopez, who defeated Lomachenko in October 2020, will be a problem for Shakur because he’ll be forced to exchange. Loma tried to move, but it didn’t work. Lopez repeatedly cut off the ring, landing big shots on Lomachenko.
Teofimo will be defending his WBO light welterweight title against Stevenson on January 31, 2026. Lopez will have the natural strength and size advantage against Shakur, who is moving up from 135 in search of his fourth division world title.
Shakur’s Low-Risk Approach
Although Stevenson has size, he lacks power, and he doesn’t like to get hit. Russell notes that he doesn’t take the same risks that Lopez does because his defensive style is so ingrained with him. He can’t change.
Why He Leans Teofimo
“Naturally, I think Teofimo is stronger than Shakur. He has more athleticism than Shakur, and he has a high IQ on the sport,” said Gary Antuanne Russell to Fight Hub TV, discussing the Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson contest coming up next month on January 31st.
“Shakur, I feel he’s a smarter fighter. He’s a more technical fighter. Mentally, he’s more mature. He doesn’t go outside of the boundaries in taking risks. He’s a careful fighter. I think with Teofimo Lopez, he’s going to be a careful fighter,” said Russell.
If Teofimo can land his hard power shots in each round, he can win a decision because he’s going to have the power advantage in this fight. If it comes down to which of them connects with the cleaner, harder shots, that could be Lopez. It just depends on whether Teo can land on Stevenson consistently enough.
“Shakur has a lot in his arsenal that will help him be victorious. It’s a 50-50 fight, and it depends on which of them shows up on the night of the fight. If Teofimo Lopez shows up and is ready to fight just like he fought [Vasily] Lomachenko, Teo wins,” said Russell.
Lomachenko was 34 and smaller than Teofimo. One could see the size difference between them on the night of the fight. The then 23-year-old Lopez looked like a welterweight fighting a super featherweight, and he had the power advantage.
This wasn’t the same Loma that had turned pro in 2013 after capturing two Olympic gold medals. He was also fighting two divisions above his best weight class of featherweight, and competing with an injured right arm.
Last Updated on 12/06/2025
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