In a compelling January battle to start 2026 WBO junior welterweight champ Teofimo Lopez will battle WBC lightweight champ Shakur Stevenson in New York.
What had been rumored for several weeks was confirmed on Monday morning. Brooklyn star Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) will defend both his WBO and "The Ring" junior welterweight championships against current WBC lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson, who moves up to 140 pounds for the first time Saturday, January 31 in New York
Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and owner of The Ring Magazine, officially confirmed that the long-anticipated showdown between Lopez and Stevenson will happen . The bout will headline The Ring 6, produced in partnership with Matchroom Boxing and broadcast live worldwide, exclusively on DAZN.
The matchup launches DAZN’s 2026 boxing calendar following a high-octane end to 2025, which featured Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn 2, The Ring IV: Night of the Champions, and will have The Ring V: Night of the Samurai: Naoya Inoue vs. David Picasso coming at the end of this month.
For Lopez, the fight marks his fourth defense of the junior welterweight crown, as he aims to extend his six-fight winning streak. His most recent outing came in May, when he earned a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Arnold Barboza Jr. during The Ring’s "Fatal Fury" Times Square event.
Stevenson enters the bout looking to cement his legacy by becoming a four-weight world champion. Fighting just across the river from his hometown of Newark, the slick southpaw last appeared in July, scoring an unanimous decision over mandatory challenger William Zepeda to retain his WBC lightweight title at Ring III in Louis Armstrong Stadium, in Queens.
Alalshikh said Monday, “This fight between two huge talents will provide an exciting start to our plans for 2026. We look forward to returning to New York and delivering another world-class title fight.”
Teofimo Lopez declared: “Are you ready for New York City? Brick city in the concrete jungle, so let’s get ready to rumble! The Takeover is here to stay, not play. Make Boxing Great Again is my forte. Shakur will fall in nine.”
Meanwhile, Stevenson responded: “I have never shied away from a challenge and always chased the biggest fights in the sport because I know I am one of the best boxers in the world. Teofimo Lopez will learn that firsthand on January 31. Teofimo will learn there are levels to this game. New York, get ready—I’m taking over a fourth division.”
This bout, on the heels of Devin Haney's impressive decision win over Brian Norman taking his WBO welterweight title in Saudi Arabia last month, is the next most compelling bout to be made featuring two American champions.
Lopez is the former unified lightweight world champion, who defeated future hall of famer Vasily Lomachenko by decision to win three of the titles in October 2020. He garnered the WBO junior welterweight crown with an impressive decision win over Josh Taylor in June of 2023 and has defended it three times in the two and half years since.
Stevenson is a former U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist and has already won featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight world titles at just age 28. Now, he will vie for a 140 lb. world championship and put him in the conversation for hall of fame status.