Teofimo Lopez communicates his desire to face Ryan Garcia after he defeats Shakur Stevenson, causing him to become emotional. Earlier today, Ryan challenged Teofimo, expressing his confidence in possessing the skills to overcome him.
Ryan Garcia’s Widespread Appeal
It must be tempting for Teofimo (22-1, 13 KOs) to postpone his plans for a match against Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) in January for the purpose of competing against the more renowned Ryan Garcia. However, Lopez has chosen to adhere to his initial plans to battle Stevenson next.
Lopez Pledges to Defeat Stevenson
“After I dominate Shakur Stevenson and bring him to tears like the little coward he is, I am challenging Ryan Garcia,” stated Teofimo Lopez on X.
Stevenson and Lopez have been exchanging messages on social media for the past couple of weeks. Lopez responded to an initial challenge by Stevenson by sharing an old sparring video of him gaining the upper hand. That encouraged the New Jersey native even more to persist in challenging him.
Teofimo is relying on being able to land punches on the elusive Stevenson, who is challenging to hit with headshots. He can be struck to the body, as demonstrated in his most recent fight against William Zepeda, but the judges disregard those types of shots. They exclusively focus on punches to the head in modern times. Zepeda landed numerous body shots in the fight, but the scoring favored punches connecting to the head.
Alalashikh Must Provide Funds
It remains to be determined whether Teofimo will fight Shakur Stevenson because it still necessitates that Turki Alalashikh provide the financial resources. If he is unwilling to compensate Lopez with the amount of money he received for his last fight against Arnold Barboza Jr, the fight will not occur.
Lopez would then accept the fight with Ryan Garcia, because that’s one that is assured to perform well on PPV. Garcia has 12 million followers on Instagram, and he can expect fans to tune in to watch him.
