Teofimo Lopez Sr. has offered his explanation for his son’s one-sided defeat to Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, where Teofimo Lopez lost his WBO super-lightweight title by unanimous decision.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Lopez Sr insisted that the result was not a reflection of what he saw during training camp. He said preparations had gone well and that strong sparring sessions left him confident heading into fight night. “Everything was fine, the sparring sessions were what motivated me to this fight,” Lopez Sr said. “I was 100% sure we were going to win.”
According to Lopez Sr, the problem came down to execution on the night. He believes his son did not follow the intended game plan designed to disrupt Stevenson’s rhythm and strengths. “For some reason the game plan my son didn’t do what I told him he was supposed to do,” he explained. “His rhythm was supposed to be different where we were supposed to stop Shakur from doing whatever he does best.”
Lopez Sr also suggested that outside factors played a role, pointing to discussion around future fights during the build-up. “Congratulations to him for winning but that wasn’t my son in there,” he said. “I think the networks and everybody, the media, everything leading up to this fight and talking about the winner fighting in May, I think that probably got to him.”
In the aftermath of the loss, Lopez has already outlined his next move, announcing plans to step up to welterweight. The former champion will now target success at 147lbs as he looks to regroup and pursue a third divisional world title following the defeat to Stevenson.
Image Credit: Matchroom Boxing