In outclassing Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson earns his most important title yet — the face of boxing

Shakur Stevenson had just made the biggest walk of his career to the ring where a familiar face was waiting for him — Terence Crawford.

The recently retired, undisputed king in three different divisions whispered some last minute words of encouragement to his mentee, and brother through boxing, to which the undefeated Stevenson simply assured him, “I got you.”

Stevenson proceeded to deliver a near shutout of Teofimo Lopez Jr. at Madison Square Garden, and live on DAZN PPV , on Saturday night. His brilliant unanimous decision snatched the WBO and The Ring super lightweight titles from Lopez, coronating Stevenson as a four-division world champion.

But as Saturday night became the wee hours of Sunday, February 1, the Newark, New Jersey native bagged a larger, even more important title as well — the new face of boxing.

“For sure, for sure,” Stevenson said during the post-fight press conference when DAZN News asked him if he is the sport’s new torchbearer.

In fact, Stevenson has been feeling like he’s the face of boxing for quite some time. His dominance over Lopez only sealed it if you ask the 28-year-old.

“I stayed studied,” he continued. “I told everybody my moment was going to come. I been calling people out and Teo took the bait.

“ Finally someone took the bait. I’ve been begging for this moment … and we finally got it.”

Crawford, an all-time pound-for-pound great, retiring only accelerates his heir apparent in Stevenson taking over as the face of boxing.

In 25 professional fights, Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) has reigned as a four-division world champion behind his brand of hit and don’t get hit boxing — a style he does better than anyone else currently in the sweet science. Stevenson landed nearly 45% of his punches against Lopez who only managed to connect on 15%.

Prior to even turning pro, Stevenson had erected a rich amateur pedigree and was a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, showing his boxing wizardry there.

The scene in his locker room at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Saturday night prior to his dominant display against Lopez will tell you Stevenson is the chosen one. There by his side were none other than Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs), the only man in boxing history to reach undisputed glory in three weight classes and a five-division world champion. Claressa Shields (17-0, 3 KOs), the only woman to be crowned undisputed in three different divisions, was there too as was Andre Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) an International Boxing Hall of Fame member. The absolute personification of boxing greatness.

When Stevenson was asked about being the next Floyd Mayweather Jr., he simply offered: “I’m the first Shakur Stevenson, but Floyd Mayweather is my guy.”

He shared how “Money” Mayweather called him prior to the fight and how he has that GOAT in his corner as well.

If Stevenson is to fully assume this mantle of being the face of boxing, he cannot duck any smoke and spoke about moving up in weight to fight Conor Benn, especially after the two had an intriguing confrontation in the ring following Stevenson’s dissection of Lopez.

Often boxing is marred by a grand buildup turning into a downplaying of dominance as a fight’s aftermath as hindsight tends to second-guess one fighter's greatness. Such a scenario with its narratives should not be tolerated here.

Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) is a great fighter in his own right. A two-division world champion, Lopez upset Vasiliy Lomachenko at his own boxing game in an October 2020 unanimous decision that made him a unified lightweight world champion.

He then moved up in weight and defeated previously-unbeaten Josh Taylor in another upset to be declared WBO and The Ring super lightweight world champion — a crown he went on to defend three times in three unanimous decisions before running into Stevenson who showed the boxing world he is levels above.

A great fighter being soundly defeated by a “generational talent” as dubbed by his Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn during the post-fight press conference.

“He made an elite fighter look very, very average tonight and to be a four-division champion at 28 years of age is unbelievable,” Hearn said of Stevenson.

“The way he’s doing it … he’s not even coming out first gear.”

The same can be said for how Stevenson systematically dismantled the likes of William Zepeda, Oscar Valdez and Jamel Herring before Lopez.

And the stakes for Stevenson should only get higher from here in the form of bigger money fights and the opponents who come with them.

It is best to just  face  it: Boxing has a new face and his reign is upon us, superstar liftoff in full flight.

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