Teofimo’s final outing towards Arnold Barboza Jr. in Instances Sq. was efficient final Might, nevertheless it was additionally extremely cautious. The gang wished warmth, they usually obtained a tactical stalemate. It regarded to some followers that Lopez purposefully copied Shakur’s model all the way down to the letter. He had the three ft step again model excellent, and followers at ringside weren’t happy. One might hear the boos clearly.
Teofimo has the uncooked pace and thudding energy to show Shakur’s “chess match” right into a dogfight, if he’s prepared to get in shut and keep busy. Shakur continues to be discovering his groove at this increased weight, and we all know regular, gritty stress is strictly what makes him uncomfortable.
Shakur is the king of “hit and don’t get hit.” Whereas he’s a defensive wizard, his model has drawn warmth prior to now for being a bit too medical and low on quantity.
The hazard right here is apparent: if Shakur dictates the space and Teo struggles to chop off the ring, we’re taking a look at twelve rounds of single photographs and resets. On the planet of PPV, that’s a troublesome promote.
Boxing is combating for each ounce of consideration it will possibly get proper now. With streaming costs going up, followers aren’t within the temper to pay for a observe meet. There’s a silver lining! Teofimo has that explosive energy that may flip a script in a heartbeat. If he stays true to his phrase and presses Shakur early, we’re going to see some actual exchanges. Shakur can also be nonetheless adjusting to the burden, which means he may not have the ability to simply dance his approach out of bother this time.
This combat doesn’t have to be a slugfest, nevertheless it must really feel alive. If each guys play it protected, the followers are going to allow them to hear it. But when Lopez forces the problem and makes it a combat, this may very well be the night time that proves technical boxing can nonetheless be electrical.
