Trainer Bernie Davis says the reason Shakur Stevenson chose Teofimo Lopez over 140-year-old Subriel Matias to fight for the belt is because he wants to fight a “superstar.” He rates Lopez (22-1, 13 KO) as someone who fits the “superstar” label.
(Source: Golden Boy)
Did Shakur play it secure at 140 pounds?
Insiders suspect Shakur (24-0, 11 KO) saw an obvious weakness in Teofimo’s game, noting his loss to George Kambosos and his controversial 140 wins over Sandor Martin and Jamain Ortiz.
Some fans consider Teo to be the weakest of the welterweight champions. They believe Shakur was calculated to be chosen over Matias, Gary Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins.
“Shakur wants the best fights. He is a marksman and a defensive wizard. Can you solve this puzzle?” said coach Bernie Davies MillCity Boxing about Shakur Stevenson. “This guy is unbeatable.”
If Stevenson wants the best fighters, why did he decide not to fight Andy Cruz, Ernesto Mercado, Raymond Muratalla, Abdullah Mason or postpone the fight with Floyd Schofield? Shakur’s resume is average.
Hailing from Newark, Modern Jersey, Stevenson is certainly not unbeatable. We saw in his last fight against William Zepeda and his match against Edwin De Los Santos that he is beatable. Many fans made him lose to both fighters. He escaped De Los Santos and was booed from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with his 12-round unanimous decision in November 2023.
The “Superstar” illusion at the age of 140
“Matias has already had a fight. Teofimo, they joined in. They’re newborn guys,” Bernie said when asked why Shakur wasn’t targeting WBA welterweight champion Subriel Matias and not Teofimo at 140. “These are newborn superstars. It’s a superstar fight. Shakur wants to fight the star.”
If Shakur wants a superstar to artificially judge him, he’s picking the wrong fighter because Teofimo isn’t up to the standard to be called one. Matias did lose to Liam Paro, but he should have won the fight if the referee had penalized the Australian for constantly pushing, holding and rabbit punching. Paro used all three tactics to neutralize Matias’ attack, and the referee didn’t even lift a finger to deduct points from him.
“He just beat Zepeda. He is [Stevenson] superstar. I need a fight with the stars. Teofimo also holds the Ring Magazine Champion title. He also has a great win over Lomachenko. He has a great win over Josh Taylor. So it’s a star fight. Subriel Matias is not a superstar,” Bernie said.
A better explanation, perhaps the real reason Shakur chose Teofimo over Matias, is that it’s an easier fight to win. Lopez has struggled since moving up to 140 pounds in 2022, and his career has only been spared from hitting rock bottom thanks to promoters Top Rank, who have supported him through careful selection of players.
“General population” test.
If they put Teofimo in jail general publicit would explode and be ready for the trash. Fighters who so far weighed 140 inches would have sunk Lopez’s career
Gary Antuanne Russell
Richardson Hitchins
Ernesto Mercado
Keyshawn Davis
Subriel Mathias
Albert Puello
Shakur would likely lose to all or most of these fighters. He doesn’t have the power to deal with these types of players and could barely handle William Zepeda. He doesn’t have the physical tools to beat top fighters at 140 or 135 pounds.
Indeed, Matias is not a superstar, but Berbie using that as a reason for choosing Shakur sounds 100% disingenuous or at least naive. Teofimo isn’t a superstar either. This is the fighter who lost to George Kambosos Jr. and deserved to lose the fight against Jamaine Ortiz on February 8, 2024.
The judges handed Lopez a unanimous decision after nearly 12 rounds, but many boxing fans saw it as a blatant robbery in which the A-side fighter prevailed over a lesser-known, less attractive guy.
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Paulie Malignaggi has offered his reaction to a reported clash between Shakur Stevenson and Manny Pacquiaowhich could feature on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.
The all-British heavyweight showdown is expected to take place on December 11, headlining an event at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
That is, of course, if Fury and Joshua actually make it to the ring, as despite it being announced earlier this week, The Ring’s Mike Coppinger has since reported that their fight is in jeopardy.
Prior to that, it had emerged that an encounter between Stevenson and Pacquiao – between whom there is a near two-decade age gap – was being planned for the same night in Wales.
Should it come to fruition, this would represent Stevenson’s first outing since signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, who he joined after dethroning Teofimo Lopez with a unanimous decision victory in January.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, has not fought since his draw with Mario Barrios in July 2025, when he ended a near four-year layoff and almost claimed the WBC welterweight title.
Yet despite that surprisingly impressive performance, former world champion Malignaggi has emphasised on his YouTube channel that, against Stevenson, the 47-year-old would be facing an entirely different competitor.
“Manny Pacquiao-Shakur Stevenson has no place on this card; [it] has no place in big-time boxing. I am completely befuddled.
“[I’m] disappointed in Stevenson; [I’m] disappointed in Zuffa, obviously. These are ‘click bait’ type of fights. These are names that draw attention, so you can get people to watch. Then the fight’s a dud and all these casuals sit there complaining about boxing, telling you why boxing’s dead.”
Malignaggi went on to credit Pacquiao with being “competitive against the worst world champion I’ve ever seen in my life”, emphasising a considerable difference between Barrios and Stevenson.
World Boxing News provides a round-by-round scorecard as Johnny Fisher faces Michael Pirotton at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Fisher and Pirotton collide over ten rounds at heavyweight as Zuffa Boxing stages its latest card in the United Kingdom.
The Romford Bull returns to action with Pirotton standing in his way as the British heavyweight looks to continue his climb.
WBN provides a live scorecard of the contest below, plus live results throughout the event.
Fisher vs Pirotton Scorecard
Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton
(Round-by-round scorecard will refresh every 2 mins)
Heavyweight Copper Box Arena, London 10×3
Round
Fisher
Pirotton
Round 1
10
9
Round 2
10
9
Round 3
9
10
Round 4
9
10
Round 5
10
9
Round 6
10
9
Round 7
10
9
Round 8
10
9
Round 9
10
9
Round 10
10
9
WBN Totals:
98
92
Official Result: FISHER MD – 98-92, 96-95, 95-95
Zuffa Boxing
Preview
Fisher faces Pirotton in the first fight of his lucrative deal with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing.
The Briton enters the contest with a 14-1 record, while Pirotton brings a 12-2 record into the Zuffa Boxing 11 bout.
The event is available live on Sky in the United Kingdom and Paramount+.
The Fisher vs Pirotton event unfolds alongside more live coverage on World Boxing News.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Johnny Fisher faces Michael Pirotton on Zuffa Boxing 11 at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Fisher returns to heavyweight action over ten rounds against Pirotton as part of Zuffa Boxing’s latest event in the United Kingdom.
Craig Richards faces Radivoje Kalajdzic at light heavyweight, while Lee Cutler takes on Louis Greene and Cesar Mateo Tapia faces Leo Ruiz at middleweight.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:41
Johnny Fisher defeated Michael Pirotton by majority decision after ten competitive heavyweight rounds at the Copper Box Arena. WBN scored the fight 98-92 for Fisherwhile the official judges returned scores of 98-92 and 96-95 for Fisher, with the third scoring it 95-95.
22:42
Radivoje Kalajdzic improved to 31-3 with a unanimous decision over Craig Richards, who dropped to 20-5-1 after a good ten-round scrap. Both men had their moments and hurt each other at times before “Hot Rod” got the verdict on the scorecards, which included knocking Richards down for the first time in his career.
21:43
Lee Cutler carded a unanimous decision win over Louis Greene in their ten-round middleweight clash. Judges scorecard 98-92 and 97-93 twice in favor on Cutler, who improves to 17-2.
20:52
Ahead of the three main bouts, Zuffa’s only female fighter, Kayla Allendefeated Edina Kiss via TKO in their super lightweight bout.
20:32
Leo Ruiz overcame Cesar Tapia over 10 rounds at middleweight, scoring a unanimous decision to move to 18-1 as Ruiz Tapia suffered a first loss.
19:29
Alex MacMillan moved to 5-0 with a second-round stoppage of Guillaume Azagier, who went down twice in the opening round and again before the finish at 0:32 of the second.
18:40
Rogelio Romero improved to 7-0 with a third-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Aurel Ignat, ending the cruiserweight contest at 2:12.
18:24
Alexis De la Cerda improved to 10-0 with a unanimous decision over Cain Lewis, taking the eight-round contest 80-72, 79-74 and 79-73.
17:42
Fred Pullen marked his professional debut with a four-round points victory over Leonardo Faretina, who was dropped in the second round.
Remaining Bouts
Johnny Fisher vs. Michael Pirotton — 10 rounds, heavyweight
Craig Richards vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic — 10 rounds, light heavyweight
TV Coverage
The event is available live on Sky in the United Kingdom and Paramount+.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
