As Shakur Stevenson heads into his upcoming 140 lb title opportunity against defending champion Teofimo Lopez, he joins Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr on All The Smoke Fight to talk about this chance to really make a statement in a marquee matchup on January 31. Here’s some excerpts from Shakur below.
Shakur on how he’s been feeling heading into Teofimo showdown
“I’ve been feeling good. I’ve been sharp, I’ve been focused. Training camp going well, so now we just wait on the day. I’m ready, I’m definitely coming to shock the world.”
On their past sparring experience
“We sparred like three rounds…It was cool, it wasn’t really too much to gauge from. So we got in there, I feel like I got off. He probably feel like he did something. So, from my memory — like I said, I know he can’t beat me. That’s what I feel like.”
On how he assesses Teofimo’s style
“I think he the truth. He do a lot of things well. I think he’s flashy. I think it’s just some basic stuff where I feel like he make mistakes and I feel like I’m going to capitalize on those mistakes.
“I’m competitive, bro. So, it’s like I want to be the best. So when I see certain guys and I seen Teo’s last fight, I was there front row, I was like ‘damn this dude is like a baby Roy (Jones).’…I thought it was cool so it kind of made me want to get in the ring with him to see if he could do them things against my style.”
On his performance against Zepeda
“Honestly, I think that style-wise Zepeda’s style is the style that’s supposed to give me the most trouble. Like, guys that box and give me time to think is guys that’s going to have a fit with me all night. But the guys who press me and put me against the ropes and throw a million punches, that’s the style that’s supposed to give me trouble. So, I went out there and prevailed against that style and now I’m fighting against a boxer, which for me just makes it more fun. I don’t have to deal with a guy that’s trying to wear me down so much. Now I got to do what I do best: play chess. So I can’t wait.”
On what is going to give Teofimo problems in the ring
“We all know that he had problems with people that move around the ring. He want people to stand in front of him and he can pick them apart when you stand right there in front of him. But I plan on — I’m not going to say the game plan but I plan on doing a little bit of both. I don’t plan on just moving around, I don’t plan on just standing in front. I plan on doing everything that it takes to win.
“Teo is a helluva fighter, I understand that, but I don’t think none of these dudes are on my level when I’m at my best. So, he got a lot to deal with come January 31st.”
