Teofimo Lopez vs. Steve Claggett prediction: Can Teo close the show?

Whenever a boxer talks about being more active, it just means a busier schedule with more winnable fights against beatable opponents. Yes, the more frequent fighting allows one to maintain ring sharpness, but padding the resume with easy victories is also a popular strategy to generate interest for — hopefully — a more lucrative payday against another top fighter.

Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 knockouts) definitely has his eyes on a bigger prize by fighting Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) on Saturday.

Lopez is a clear favorite (-900 at Caesars) to successfully defend his WBO junior welterweight title against Claggett, an +550 to +660 underdog who poses no threat to Lopez’s mega-fight aspirations.

The bout will be the second of the year for Lopez, who struggled to defeat Jamaine Ortiz in a lackluster unanimous decision victory in early February. A spectacular stoppage of Claggett would wash away the bad taste left by the Ortiz snoozer and create more positive buzz around Lopez, who hopes to move up in weight class and land a mega fight with Terence Crawford. Good luck with that, Teo.

In the meantime, Lopez must put on a show against Claggett. And that means a knockout win.

When exactly will Lopez stop Claggett? The question is at the center of the most attractive plus-money odds in the round group betting market.

The pick — Teofimo Lopez to win in rounds 7-12 (+160, Caesars)

Quite simply, Claggett was chosen by Lopez because he will put himself in harm’s way. The 35-year-old Canadian is a volume puncher who will surely leave openings for Lopez to exploit and showcase his speed and power.

Claggett has won his last nine fights, but the competition was nowhere near Lopez’s caliber. And while Lopez’s last three fights all went to the judges’ scorecards, he should outclass Claggett with the bout ending by stoppage in the later rounds.

The wild card is Lopez. Which one will show up Saturday in Miami Beach? The focused Lopez displays a special boxing skill set, like he did against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor. The erratic Lopez can get inexplicably overwhelmed by a less talented boxer like George Kambosos Jr. Bet on Teofimo not being undistracted.

Boxing record: 13-10, -0.32 units