On Wednesday WBO junior welterweight champ Teofimo Lopez and former U.S. Olympian and three division world champ Shakur Stevenson met the media for the first time prior to their January showdown.
On Wednesday Brooklyn-born Teofimo Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) and Newark native Shakur Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) took the stage at Madison Square Garden to discuss their highly anticipated January 31st showdown and the intrigue is already there.
One of the first compelling fights of 2026 will see Lopez defend his Ring Magazine and WBO Junior Welterweight Titles at the iconic venue against the prominent Stevenson with the full undercard to be announced in the coming weeks.
From Matchroom Boxing and Turki Alashikh fans around the world will be able to watch the event live via Pay-Per-View, streamed exclusively on DAZN.
Stevenson, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist and the reigning WBC Lightweight Champion, enters the fight with ambitions of securing a world title in a fourth weight class. The Southpaw from Newark, NY is Widely regarded as one of boxing’s most technically gifted fighters. Stevenson comes off an impressive defense of his WBC lightweight crown beating the consensus #1 contender William Zepeda last July.
Lopez, meanwhile, remains a formidable force at 140 pounds, having captured the junior welterweight crown with a decisive points win over former undisputed champion Josh Taylor just over two years ago.
Wednesday Lopez fluctuated between showing respect for Shakur, but also pulling out the bravado that Lopez has been known for,
“There are no friends in boxing," Lopez said in response to having previously traine with Stevenson. "This is what I am trying to attest to. When they presented the fight with Devin [Haney], a lot of things came in my way, but it all happened in perfect alignment. Devin doesn’t have motion, but Shakur has motion. He did his thing. He looked outstanding against William Zepeda at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
And this is what you guys need. This is what boxing needs. This is why we're here. We're here to take over. Now we have this lightweight coming up to super lightweight, to come over here and dethrone the champ. And this is why this is the fight. And this is why this fight is happening in early 2026.”
Lopez continued,
“All of the things that I learned at junior welterweight/super lightweight. Everything that I learned has brought me to this moment here and now. Every fighter that I faced, in this beautiful weight class, all the things that I learned from every fighter that I faced, to now, will be on display against Shakur Stevenson.
And that is what I'm looking forward to more than anything else. We’ve got to get through him first. That's all it is. Put him in front of me, and we will beat him. And when it's all said and done, my hand will be raised once again, and they will say the takeover.”
Meanwhile, for his part, Shakur stood his ground,
A lot of the weaknesses (Lopez's) are mental. I think it's more mental than anything again. I'm going to expose it.”
On proving himself, again, against a bigger fighter?
“I'm the best. I want to show the world that I'm the best. After this fight, I want to be considered a top five, pound-for-pound fighter in a sport – and I can't wait to show it.”
“I just don’t think he realizes how good I am," Stevenson continued. "I think come fight night, he's going to realize that I'm gonna take it to another level that he has never seen before. So, if he's expecting the [Vasyl] Lomachenko, or the Josh Taylor fight to happen, it won't be that type of fight.”
Lots of talking, but the upcoming clash January 31st promises high stakes, elite skill, and a showdown worthy of the World’s Most Famous Arena.