Stevenson seizes Lopez's title to become four-division champion - ESPN

Shakur Stevenson humbled and humiliated Teofimo Lopez with boxing's version of a perfect game Saturday night, snatching the WBO junior welterweight title by wiping out Teofimo Lopez with a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) had promised to make the fight with Lopez look easy and did just that with all three judges scoring the fight 119-109. In the process, Stevenson became the fastest fighter to become a four-division champion.

«I picked him apart and did what I was supposed to do,» Stevenson said. «This is the art of boxing — hit and don't get hit and pick guys apart. I told you all I'm the best fighter on the planet and I stand by that.»

Stevenson, 28, long believed he had been overlooked and disrespected despite his accolades as an Olympic silver medalist and three-division champion. He watched as his peers such as Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Lopez received acclaim while he felt he was criticized for a safety-first style that rarely led to him losing rounds. He was forced into a co-main event against William Zepeda last July just to prove that he could make exciting fights.

Heading into Saturday night, Stevenson told ESPN that his performance would force the world to accept and respect him.

He did just that, putting on a master class against a fellow pound-for-pound fighter in a matchup between two young fighters at their respective peaks.

Stevenson, who entered the fight as ESPN's No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter, made the move to 140 pounds after holding world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight, conceding what was thought to be a size advantage to Lopez, ESPN's No. 10 ranked pound-for-pound fighter.

Lopez (22-2, 18 KOs) came