While Stevenson moves into position to fight for the super lightweight title, Teofimo Lopez has endured enough inconsistent performances to provide any elite analyst with a blueprint to work with. A 12th-round decision loss to Jorge Kambosos Jr. completely shattered the halo, while a narrow decision victory over Jermaine Ortiz raised questions about control and pacing, which a controversial win over Xander Martin only exacerbated. Even a win over Steve Claggett, a tough but limited pressure fighter, showed just how uncomfortable Lopez can appear when asked to deal with things round after round.

None of this suggests that Lopez is a bad boxer, but it makes him a man with a record whose tendencies have been exposed in ways that can be slowed down, paused and replayed. His habits are tested by pressure and television, and for a boxer like Shakur Stevenson who is built on pattern recognition and control, that information is currency.

The contrast becomes even more stark when you see the fighter Stevenson wasn’t chasing. Richardson Hitchens has been largely untouched at world level and his flaws haven’t been stress-tested on the biggest stage. Gary Antoine Russell brings consistent pressure and physical strength unlike a catalog of televised breakdowns, while Dalton Smith is still a work in progress and remains opaque in key areas. These fighters may or may not be better than Lopez, but the problem is simpler: They’re harder to study because they don’t offer years of visible clues and documented missteps.

That’s exactly why this line is so popular with super die-hard fans. This lends credence to the belief that Stevenson chose a champion whose weaknesses have been documented, rather than the one who raises the most unanswered questions. This is a tactical choice, not an accusation, but a description of how elite fights are chosen now.

In another era, championships were chased by uncertainty, but now, when championships can be won through preparation rather than confrontation, uncertainty is to be avoided. Stevenson’s comments kicked back the curtain on this reality by describing the fight as the execution of a long-term study rather than a best-of-140 contest. That doesn’t diminish the victory, but it explains it. Stevenson did exactly what he had been advised to do throughout his career, choosing the opponent he knew best and trusting his discipline to execute the plan.

That statement about studying the tape wasn’t meant to be modest or padding; It’s a quiet acknowledgment of how this fight was chosen in the first place. In this sense, the quote is suggestive but not dramatic. Stevenson didn’t meet Teofimo Lopez by chance. He’s here on purpose because Lopez is the champion and his flaws have been shown to the world, making him the safest concern.