Russell said he worked out with Stevenson in the past and studied his game, noting issues he had. He found himself comfortable taking the lead in “directing operations.” Shakur is learning how to fight in the pocket but still isn’t comfortable with pressure, especially combination punches.

In Shakur’s last fight against William Zepeda, he looked vulnerable when he was hit three or four times by the Mexican boxer. Zepeda fought better when he only had one punch at a time.

“If he’s in good shape and his game plan is for the first five or six rounds, ‘Every time I get closer, I stroked him three or four times,’ which will put Shakur on the defensive,” Gary Russell said mill city boxing On how Teofimo Lopez defeated Shakur Stevenson.

The question for Teofimo may be whether Shakur moves like he did against Edwin de los Santos. If he fights like this, on a bike for 12 rounds, Teo will have a hard time hitting his opponent. He has to put pressure on Stevenson, just like he did against Jamaine Ortiz and Lomachenko.

“Shakur is trying to get more comfortable fighting in the pocket, but he’s more of a boxer. He likes to call the shots. When you bring those things to him and give him some opportunities to think, now you’ve got a head start,” Russell said.

Stevenson never looked comfortable in the pocket against Zepeda. Throughout the night, his body was shot, and he took enough punches to the head to leave his cheeks swollen and his lips bleeding. He took more punishment than Zepeda, who landed nearly 1,000 punches. Many of them are physical.

“I don’t think he has to hurt Shakur to win the fight. He just has to have a certain level of aggression and his approach has to be direct,” Russell said.

Lopez has to apply pressure, throw combinations, and not let Stevenson move around without competition. The punches Teofimo landed had to be to the head because if he landed mostly to the body, he might not get the credit.

“Close the distance, and once you’re in range, slide, boom, boom, boom – every time – two, three, four, boom, boom, boom. Stick him. Stick him against him and keep getting closer. It’s going to make Shakur look hesitant,” Russell said.

When de los Santos closed the distance, Shakur always escaped. Once, he jumped off a building and escaped. This image became a meme because it looks so bad. He didn’t want to get stuck against De Los Santos.

Lopez needs to cut off the ring and use quick feet to stay relevant with Stevenson, as he has said after the Zepeda fight that he won’t fight in the pocket again because he took too many hits.