After Lopez edged Martin by a split decision in December 2022, he was caught on ESPN audio asking himself, “Do I still got it.” Carrington believes that moment matters when looking at how Lopez might handle Stevenson’s style.
Carrington doesn’t expect Stevenson to stand in front of Lopez the way some of Teofimo’s recent opponents have. He believes Shakur will stay on the move, pick his spots, and avoid giving Lopez clean looks.
Because of that, Carrington says Lopez will need patience rather than aggression. He pointed to Lopez’s win over Vasily Lomachenko in October 2020 as the best example of how Teofimo can deal with a mover.
In that fight, Lopez didn’t rush. He stayed calm, followed Lomachenko around the ring, and waited for chances instead of forcing exchanges. Carrington believes that version of Lopez gives himself the best chance against Stevenson.
“The two fights that stand out to me that bother me for Teofimo are the Sandor Martin fight and the Jamaine Ortiz fight,” Carrington said to MillCity Boxing. “He got frustrated in both of them to the point where he was asking himself, ‘Do I still got it?’”
Martin, a southpaw, dropped Lopez early in their fight and had success with the same right hook more than once. Carrington noted that Lopez had trouble adjusting as the fight went on, especially in the later rounds, when his frustration started to show.
Carrington also said Lopez tends to look his best against opponents who are willing to stay in front of him.
“Then you’ve got guys that are standing right there for you,” Carrington said. “Guys like Josh Taylor, Steve Claggett. Fighters that stay there allow him to look beautiful.”
Carrington believes Stevenson presents a different problem.
“Barboza was there all night,” Carrington said. “Shakur is not going to be there for that. And if he’s not there, Teofimo can get frustrated. If that happens, that could be the night right there.”
Carrington says the fight could come down to whether Lopez can stay composed when the openings aren’t obvious.
