Mayweather Says Shakur Is The A-Side Over Teo

Floyd Mayweather views Shakur Stevenson as the A-side in his January 31 fight against Teofimo Lopez.

Shakur moves up from 135 to try and secure Lopez’s WBO Junior Welterweight Title. Stevenson is a three-weight world champion, the current WBC Lightweight Champion, having beaten William Zepeda in July. The win took his undefeated record to 24-0, with 11 knockouts to his name. Lopez, although the WBO champ, has one loss on his record against George Kambosos Jr.

Lopez arguably is the more entertaining fighter, which may be a reason why he is viewed as the A-side. Shakur has developed a reputation for not being the most exciting fighter, often prioritising defense over action. Should Stevenson dethrone Lopez, he would be the 25th boxer in history to win world titles in four different weight divisions. It also sets the stage for future bouts against Richardson Hitchins and Gary Antuanne Russell. Mayweather, according to Stevenson, sees him as the A-side.

“He [Mayweather] had a whole lot to say, but I don’t like to [put stuff out there]. One thing that he was just saying is that he doesn’t think that I should be the B-side for this upcoming fight. He thinks that I should be the A-side. He really felt strongly about it, but it is what it is,” Mayweather said

The Reality

The immediate counter-argument is that Lopez is the reigning champion at the weight class where the fight is taking place. A key element of his marketability, which translates into “A-side” status, is the knockout threat. Lopez’s career-defining moment—the upset victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko—was a massive, highly-publicized event that propelled him to mainstream recognition.

Lopez has been involved in major promotional events, including headlining fights against Lomachenko and Josh Taylor. The “A-side” is ultimately the fighter people are most willing to pay for. The worry is that a Stevenson fight could be a boring, low-volume chess match, whereas Lopez, even when struggling, guarantees explosive moments and high drama. Mayweather’s assessment values pure skill above all else.