Set for this Saturday night at the iconic Madison Square Garden, boxing champion Shakur Stevenson moves up in weight to challenge WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez. In what should be an excellent technical showcase, the former enters this bout as one of the most talented fighters in the world. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, from featherweight to lightweight, and has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title since 2023. Meanwhile, his opponent is an amazing fighter in his own right who has also held multiple world championships in two weight classes. This includes the unified lightweight championship, as well as the Ring title, between 2019 and 2021.
In this report, SBS will be going over what to look for from each fighter, a predicted winner in this stellar matchup, and also some more notes and information you can only find at SBS.
Entering this matchup, the 28-year-old Stevenson boasts a spectacular record of 24-0. This includes 11 knockout victories and various title defenses over the course of his already strong career. In his last matchup against William Zepeda, Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight title. During the fight, sources said that Stevenson “stood firm in the right, showcasing an impressive display of skill and strategy to successfully defend his title with a unanimous decision victory.” According to CompuBox, Stevenson landed 295 of 565 punches thrown (52.5%), and Zepeda landed 272 of his 979 thrown (27.8%). Additionally, the report notes that 199 of Stevenson’s punches were power shots.
During the course of his career, he has racked up a variety of accolades. As an amateur, he represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning the bantamweight silver medal. A couple of years later, in October 2019, Stevenson won his first major world title by defeating Joet Gonzalez for the vacant WBO featherweight title. After that, he captured the WBO super featherweight title, later unifying it with the WBC and The Ring super featherweight titles by defeating Oscar Valdez. A technical powerhouse, he most recently knocked out Josh Padley back in February of last year in the ninth round. This matchup, though with Lopez, could perhaps prove to be his most challenging yet if he is caught off guard by his opponent’s style.
Another former Olympian, Lopez, represented Honduras at the 2016 Summer Olympics and is also one of the most accomplished current fighters in the world. With a mark of 22-1 in professional bouts, Lopez has sensational power as evidenced by his 13 knockout victories. Since losing to George Kambosos Jr. back in November 2021 via split decision, he has rattled off six straight victories. This includes championship wins over Pedro Campa for the vacant NABF and WBO International light welterweight titles, and also a unanimous decision against Josh Taylor for the WBO and The Ring light welterweight belts.
In his last matchup, he fought in Times Square in New York City against Arnold Barboza Jr. in what turned out to be a unanimous decision win for Lopez. Of course, this fight against Stevenson could prove to be his most challenging yet. Per sources, this fight will see Lopez defending his junior welterweight title, with Stevenson aiming to become a four-division champion. Additionally, according to Lopez himself, he revealed that his training focused on adjusting his fighting style to manage range and distance effectively. He also described his opponent as “one-of-one,” a unique and formidable combatant. In any case, with Lopez clearly giving high praise to Stevenson, it perhaps shows how much training and preparation will go into this fight and how seriously he is taking his opponent, who is moving up in weight.
Prior to this matchup, Stevenson expressed his desire to fight Lopez at a higher weight by saying, “pound-for-pound, I am going to the man at 140, get the Ring Magazine belt, and laugh at all who doubted,” Stevenson said. “No tune-ups, no fights to get comfortable at the weight – just big balls and big dreams.” Indeed, there is no loss of confidence here from the champion, but this fight has the makings of an instant classic given the spectacular resumes of both fighters.
With that in mind, Stevenson is the selection here as he has been more dominant in his career, and is hard to falter even when moving up in weight.
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About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
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