Teofimo Lopez turned down Shakur Stevenson’s call at 140 pounds, telling him he needed to stay in his lane at 135 pounds.
Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) is looking to expand his horizons beyond the lightweight division, a division that has been shunned by top fighters, by taking on a 140-pound contender like WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo.
Is money a motivator?
Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) said Shakur needs to stay at 135 pounds and be more aggressive because a hit-and-don't-get-hit style won't cut it, and Stevenson won't get the fight he wants with Shakur.
It would be hypocritical for Teofimo to refuse to face Shakur because he fights a lower weight class at 135 pounds, because in the same interview, Teofimo mentioned Terence Crawford, who fights at 154 pounds. Teofimo told Crawford he would be available to face him at 147 pounds.
Perhaps the 26-year-old Teofimo isn't interested in fighting Shakur because he doesn't have the star power or ticket sales to make money from fighting him.
Teofimo can't expect to make millions on a PPV fight with Shakur Stevenson, and Crawford became a star last July with the blessing of Errol Spence, who has the Midas touch to make him a magnet for all to see.
Lopez criticizes Stevenson's fighting style
“I know I'm fighting at 140 pounds, but you guys are fighting at 135. Stay in your lane,” Teofimo Lopez told Danza Project, taking a swipe at lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and letting it be known that he has no intention of fighting at 140 pounds.
“I know I have to keep myself relevant, but I have to have a certain kind of importance, which means I have to fight. I have to really fight,” Teofimo said, meaning Shakur has to be willing to stand in the pocket and take on opponents instead of his usual elusive, hit-and-miss fighting style.
Teofimo will defend his WBO light welterweight title on June 29 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. According to Teofimo, he will be defending against Clagett (38-7-2, 26 KOs). Because none of the 140-pound champions want to fight him.
Opening act highlights
On the undercard, former WBO featherweight champion Robeisy Ramirez (13 wins, 2 losses, 8 KOs) Brandon Leon Benitez (21-2, 9 KOs) 10-round co-feature bout.
This will be the two-time Olympic gold medalist's return fight since losing a 12-round majority decision to Rafael Espinoza to lose the WBO 126-pound title to him last December. Robbie suffered a major setback in the Espinoza bout, so it will be interesting to see how he performs against Benitez this Saturday night.
