Josh Taylor’s unbeaten run was broken by Teofimo Lopez with a stunning victory tonight. However, Lopez, who was eyeing a fight with his friend Shakur Stevenson, reportedly shocked everyone by announcing his retirement after the victory.
On Sunday, Madison Square Garden hosted a highly-anticipated fight between Teofimo Lopez and Josh Taylor. The Scottish boxer failed to defend his 140-pound world championship against Lopez as the WBO World Super-Lightweight Title was on the line.
The American boxer, winning the 12-round battle by unanimous decision, took to Instagram to declare his shocking retirement news by saying, “I’m not here to do deals with the devil. What a relief! Retired at the Top. Thank you, Boxing for the amazing life you’ve provided for myself and my entire loved ones! ”
Teofimo Lopez has taken to Instagram to announce his retirement from boxing 😮
The right decision? #TaylorLopez | #TeofimoLopez pic.twitter.com/xZ0aZMKyB2
— IFL TV (@IFLTV) June 11, 2023
Are Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson friends?
In recent years, Teofimo and Shakur have certainly become quite popular in the ring among the young boxers of the world. Given that they both grew up participating in amateur boxing in Newark, New Jersey, they both have similar boxing backgrounds.
A friendly relationship certainly exists between the two 25-year-old boxers due to being previously trained and grown together. Hence, in a recent interview, Teofimo expressed how would it feel to fight Shakur.
“Don’t be friends with no fighters. You’ll have to fight them eventually. Me and Shakur will have to fight eventually. He’s a good fighter. He’s a great fighter.” Lopez said.
Will Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson ever fight each other?
Despite their friendship, they both have stated a desire to compete against one another in the future. A prospective matchup between them would have to wait until they move up or down in weight classes.
They now compete in different weight classes, one in lightweight and the other in super lightweight. ‘The Takeover’, however, praised his friend Shakur for what he’s doing at the 135-lb division.
“I think he’s gonna conquer the ’35 division for sure. I’ve had him up there with Devin Haney. I know Shakur, man, he don’t like being second. He goes after the guy that goes after the guy, that’s really it.” Lopez said.
Similar to Teofimo, Shakur is in outstanding form as well. The hometown favorite stunned the crowd in Newark on April 8 by outclassing Japanese boxer Shuichiro Yoshino by technical knockout in round six of the ESPN main event.
Shakur Stevenson will do better than Devin Haney at 135 says Teofimo Lopez https://t.co/jsR80EHn6t pic.twitter.com/MPWNSdbt1h
— Tornado Fist (@tornadofist) November 10, 2022
Do you think Teofimo Lopez will make a comeback anytime soon and fight Shakur Stevenson? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
