Shakur Stevenson dominated Teofimo Lopez to turn into a four-weight world champion, earlier than clashing with Britain’s Conor Benn.
Stevenson gained by unanimous choice to win the WBO super-lightweight title as he claimed 11 of the 12 rounds on all three judges scorecards.
The 28-year-old stays unbeaten following his victory at Madison Sq. Backyard and was eager to say just a few phrases to Benn, who was watching from ringside.
“We’re gonna go back to the drawing board, but hold up, there’s a fighter here tonight and he motivated me. Where’s Conor Benn?! I want that same rehydration clause you put on [Chris] Eubank Jr and I want to fight!” stated Stevenson.
Benn entered the ring and responded: “You’re too small for me, bro, you’re tiny. You can’t punch, you can’t keep me off you.”
The pair exchanged phrases for over a minute with each fighters seemingly eager to face one another subsequent as Stevenson instructed Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn that his fighter was “food”.
Benn added: “You think I’m scared of you? I’m not scared of you, bro. We can do it next. Come up to welterweight with the big dogs. You’re a little man.”
Benn final fought in November when he beat Chris Eubank Jr by unanimous choice to seemingly finish their household’s feud.
Conor Benn celebrates after beating Chris Eubank Jr in November
How Stevenson outclassed Lopez
Stevenson entered the ring and reunited with Terence Crawford, the retired multi-division champion who’s an adviser to the Newark, New Jersey, fighter.
There was then a prolonged wait earlier than Lopez’s ring stroll became a dance efficiency, as he was joined by the Jabbawockeez. Lopez saved up with them higher than with Stevenson.
The Brooklyn product got here aggressively out of his nook when the struggle started, however Stevenson was largely capable of hold him from getting shut sufficient to land a lot and shortly started to seek out openings to attain with lefts.
Shakur Stevenson stays unbeaten whereas Teofimo Lopez was crushed for a second time in his skilled profession
He knocked Lopez off steadiness with one in every of them within the fourth spherical, caught him proper on the chin with a few proper jabs within the sixth, and by then it was turning into now not a query if Lopez would win the struggle but when he would even win a spherical.
Unable to match what could be Stevenson’s best-in-boxing foot pace, Lopez was typically pressured to lunge ahead in hopes of connecting, placing himself in danger for pictures that got here again sooner and even most occasions tougher. The world round his left eye was pink by the eighth spherical and blood streamed down his face after a lower opened within the tenth.
“I felt good, I picked him apart, I did what I was supposed to do. Hey, listen, I said I boxed guys like this my entire career. This is the art of boxing: hit and don’t get hit,” stated Stevenson.
“I told y’all I’m the best fighter on the planet, and I stand by that.”
