Teofimo Lopez Jr. says Stevenson is “goodbye forever” and that Shakur is worth the same as him at $2 million per fight

Teofimo Lopez Jr. was ringside in Southern California on Saturday night watching the boxing match between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, but the headlines about Shakur Stevenson’s fight across the country made their way to the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Lopez and Stevenson have had their fair share of verbal sparring over the years in the lead-up to a potential fight, and last week was no exception: Lopez had just earned a unanimous decision victory over Steve Claggett on June 29.

Stevenson criticized Lopez for facing Canadian challenger Claggett, who entered the fight with seven losses.

WBO junior welterweight champion Lopez fired back when asked about Stevenson’s successful defense of his WBC lightweight title and his solid unanimous points victory on Saturday over little-known Artem Harutyunyan.

“Nobody watches this shit. How many wins does (Harutyunyan) have? Like 12?” Lopez told a group of reporters. “It’s (Stevenson’s) last fight with Top Rank, so he’s good-bye.”

“He has a lot of accolades to his name. It’s up to him and what they do. If he (Harutyunyan) couldn’t finish, that’s his problem. They say I fought a nobody, but he fought a nobody and couldn’t finish the job. Don’t talk bullshit if you don’t know how to back it up. I wish him the best.”

Stevenson said he turned down a five-fight, $15 million deal with Top Rank, and Lopez said Stevenson did not deserve that guaranteed minimum, either.

“I make what they give me, $2 million – that’s his value,” Lopez said. “My value should be on the other end. But hey, he’s got a great management team and they know how to move him. I’m like Italian clothing. They pay me a high value.”

Lopez will look to prove his mettle once again later this year. He hinted that he will return to the ring soon, saying he is already back in the gym preparing for a September fight date.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, author and broadcast reporter. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. You can reach him on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, by email at manouk(dot)akopyan(at)gmail.com or at www.ManoukAkopyan.com.