Ernesto Mercado Says Shakur Stevenson Left Too Much Untouched Against Teofimo Lopez

Unbeaten contender says control over Teofimo Lopez lacked punishment in WBO title win

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado said Shakur Stevenson did enough to win on the cards, but left rounds on the table by not stepping in when the opening was there. The verdict stands, yet the performance feeds the same questions that follow Stevenson after big fight nights.

Mercado, 18-0 with 17 knockouts, addressed Stevenson’s January 31 win over WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez in the DAZN PPV main event at Madison Square Garden. In comments posted by Dan The Boxing Man from @theboxingmob, Mercado acknowledged the result but questioned the approach.

“Shakur beat him, but he didn’t beat his ***,” Mercado said. “You know, there were a lot of times when he just hit him with jabs to his face. That’s cool, bro, but when you got a guy mentally defeated. That’s when you take advantage and let your hands go. We failed to see that yet again from Shakur. There’s a lot of holes in his game, hopefully one day…I get the opportunity with him.”

The WBO belt changed hands without dispute. Shakur Stevenson controlled range, reduced exchanges, and banked rounds behind a sharp jab.

The criticism begins once Teofimo Lopez slowed. At that point, effective aggression is expected. Add combinations. Work the body. Press the advantage.

Stevenson chose precision and risk control.

That style has brought belts across divisions. It also draws recurring criticism that he prioritizes round-winning over aggression and exciting the fans. Against Lopez, a former undisputed champion, some observers expected a sharper closing statement.

Stevenson holds the WBO title. Contenders such as Mercado are trying to push their way into that order.

The question is not whether Stevenson can win rounds. He has proven that. The question raised by fighters like Mercado is whether he will press for a finish when the opening is there.

At elite level, that distinction often defines how champions are judged beyond the scorecards.

‼️TITO MERCADO ON SHAKUR STEVENSON’S PERFORMANCE AGAINST TEOFIMO‼️

Tito Mercado: “Shakur beat him,but he didn’t beat his ass. You know there were alot of times where he just hit him with jabs to his face. That’s cool bro, but when you got a guy mentally defeated…that’s when you… pic.twitter.com/cSiCIoydma

— Dan The Boxing Man (@dantheboxingman) February 25, 2026