‘A Little Coo Coo’ — Roach Questions Teofimo’s Focus Jan31

Lamont Roach says Teofimo Lopez suffers “mental lapses” during fights, and he’s struggled against “pure boxers.”

Roach states that Lopez’s erratic performances are one in all the explanations he’s picking Shakur Stevenson to defeat him on January thirty first of their headliner on DAZN.

Lamont believes that it won’t be a “super tough fight” for Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) to defeat WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs). Stevenson dominating him the best way he did his recent opponents, Josh Padley and Artem Harutyunyan, can be embarrassing.

Pure Boxers: Lopez’s Kryptonite

“He’s hit and miss. He’s a little bit coo coo. He has little mental lapses every every so often,” said Lamont Roach to Ring Champs podcast, picking Shakur Stevenson over a non-mentally engaged Teofimo Lopez. I believe Shakur wins, and I don’t think it’s going to be an excellent tough fight either. His IQ will frustrate him.”

That’s hard to consider, given the issues Stevenson had against William Zepeda last July and in his bout against Edwin De Los Santos in 2023. Those are the one two quality fighters Stevenson has faced over the past three years, since 2022.

If Stevenson Stands Still — Dangerous

It’s still not going to be easy for Shakur if he stands within the pocket against Teofimo as he did against Zepeda, Josh Padley, and Artem Harutyunyan. He’s going to get hit if he chooses to be stationary.

Shakur’s mobility isn’t adequate to maintain Teofimo from cutting off the ring and forcing him into exchanges. We saw him do this in his fight against Jamaine Ortiz in February 2024. He’s a greater mover than Shakur, with superior hand speed and power. Teofimo got to him repeatedly and compelled him into exchanges.

Jamaine had the hand speed and combination punching to fight Lopez off. Stevenson can’t do this because he’s not a mixture puncher and has no power.

Sandor Martin & Kambosos Flashbacks

“While you take a look at Teo’s performances against guys which are pure boxers, it’s similar to [hit or miss]. He almost lost to Sandor Martin. Some people thought he lost to Sandor Martin. Have a look at the Kambosos fight. That’s a fight that individuals would never expect Kambosos to win, and he won a grueling match against him as well,” said Roach.

Stevenson would never have fought the best way Kambosos did against Teofimo by trading power shots. He’s not that kind of fighter. The southpaw Sandor Martin was in a position to catch Lopez with sneaky right hooks that he didn’t see. He had a way of throwing them that was difficult for Lopez to predict.