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.