Steve Claggett, a previous adversary of Teofimo Lopez, has offered his perspective on Lopez’s recent defeat to Shakur Stevenson. Stevenson, who recently became the third-youngest four-division champion in boxing history, decisively claimed Lopez’s WBO super lightweight title.
Claggett, a Canadian boxer preparing to face Adam Azim on May 30th, was previously described by Azim as one of Teofimo Lopez’s toughest opponents. When asked about Lopez’s performance against Stevenson and the notion that Lopez had the wrong strategy, Claggett stated:
“I believe that’s precisely correct, as he attempted to outbox a master boxer. It’s a challenging approach because he was countering a counter-puncher. Stylistically, you must force the opponent to fight on your terms. When you engage in their preferred style, it becomes difficult, especially against a master boxer like Shakur. Therefore, the key is to make the other fighter adopt your strategy and fight your fight.”
“As long as you can control the pace and dictate the engagement, you can control the fight. It’s essentially about taking control of the chess board. That’s the essence of the game.”
Teofimo Lopez’s Advice for Beating Shakur Stevenson
Despite the decisive loss, Teofimo Lopez remains undeterred and believes he has identified strategies to achieve a different outcome in a potential rematch. In an interview, Lopez discussed the previous fight and what is necessary for success against Stevenson:
“It’s not entirely Shakur’s fault, but during the fight, he was stepping on my foot and elbowing me when we were clinching. That’s just how it was. He excels at one thing: creating space to maintain his defensive positioning. I can acknowledge that; he is very defensively sound. For anyone aiming to defeat him, the approach is to make it a very gritty fight.”