Steve Claggett: Teofimo Lopez’s Strategy Against Shakur Stevenson Was Flawed

Steve Claggett, a past adversary of Teofimo Lopez, has offered his perspective on Lopez’s recent defeat to Shakur Stevenson. Stevenson, who recently became the third youngest boxer to achieve championship status in four divisions, decisively took Lopez’s WBO super lightweight title.

Claggett, a Canadian boxer preparing to face Adam Azim on May 30th, was previously described by Azim as a formidable and experienced opponent, with Azim even stating that Claggett gave Teofimo Lopez his toughest fight.

Drawing from his own ring experience against Lopez, Claggett shared his thoughts on Lopez’s approach against Stevenson. He believes Lopez made a tactical error by trying to outbox a “master boxer.”

“Well, I think that’s exactly right because he was trying to outbox a master boxer. It’s a tough one to go against because he’s counter punching a counter puncher. It’s like stylistically you’ve got to try and make the guy fight your fight. Then when you fight his fight, it’s going to be a tricky one especially when he’s a master boxer like Shakur is. So, I feel like the name of the game is make the other guy fight how you want to fight and fight your fight.”

“As long as you can control the action and as long as you can make it your fight, then you can control the fight. So, it’s a matter of taking the chess board and making it yours. That’s pretty much the name of the game.”

Following their bout, Teofimo Lopez, undeterred by the significant loss, expressed confidence in his ability to alter the outcome in a potential rematch. In an interview, Lopez suggested that a “dirty fight” approach might be necessary for any fighter looking to defeat Stevenson.

“It is not Shakur’s so-called fault, but in the fight he was stepping on my foot and elbowing me in-between those moments when we were clinching, but that is just what it was. He knows how to do one thing and one thing for sure. That is to create enough space to be where he needs to be at defensively. That, I can give him, he is very defensively sound. You have just got to make it a dirty fight, for anybody that wants to face him, you have just got to make it real dirty.”