Madison Square Garden has seen its share of legendary nights in
boxing history. That trend will continue on Saturday in New York,
where “The World’s Most Famous Arena” hosts the WBO super
lightweight title clash between reigning champion Teofimo Lopez and
undefeated challenger Shakur Stevenson. Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs)
hopes to claim a belt in his fourth weight class and usurp the
explosive and eccentric Brooklyn, New York-born champion, but it
will not be easy. At 140 pounds, Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) will be the
biggest, fastest and most skilled opponent the Newark, New
Jersey-born former Olympic silver medalist has faced to date.
However, Stevenson poses his own challenges as a brilliant
defensive mastermind with a deceptive amount of pop in his
punches.
Lopez and Stevenson have shared the ring before as sparring
partners, and despite some promotional bad blood, there’s a healthy
level of respect between the two slick counterpunchers. Former
promotional stablemates at Top Rank, Lopez and Stevenson have spent
the better parts of their careers in each other’s crosshairs.
Victory would elevate the winner to superstardom and near the top
of the pound-for-pound rankings.
Here’s everything you need to know about the megafight:TALE OF THE TAPE
Teofimo Lopez
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Age: 28
Record: 22-1, 13 KOs
Height: 5-foot-8
Reach: 68.5 inches
Best Wins: “The Takeover” exploded onto the scene
in 2019 when he defeated unbeaten Japanese contender Masayoshi
Nakatani in an IBF lightweight eliminator. Five months later, Lopez
claimed his first world title when he starched Richard Commey in
two rounds. Lopez announced himself on the world stage the
following year by dethroning WBA, WBO and The Ring lineal champion
Vasily Lomachenko by unanimous decision. After losing the belts to
George Kambosos Jr., Lopez headed north to 140 pounds, where he has
enjoyed the spoils of a six-fight winning streak. Throughout that
span, he has defeated Pedro Campa, Sandor Martin, Josh Kelly,
Jamaine Ortiz, Steve Clagett and Arnold Barboza Jr.
Shakur Stevenson
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
Age: 28
Record: 24-0, 11 KOs
Height: 5-foot-8
Reach: 68 inches
Best Wins: After claiming silver at the 2016
Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Stevenson debuted the following year at
126 pounds. Cruising to victories in his first 12 fights, Stevenson
handed 23-0 Joet Gonzalez his first loss to win the vacant WBO
featherweight title in 2019. Stevenson would vacate the belt months
later to pursue gold at 130 pounds. This was the weight class where
Stevenson finally cornered some big-name competition, taking the
WBO, WBC and The Ring titles off Jamel Herring and Oscar Valdez.
After losing his titles on the scale, Stevenson conquered a third
weight class when he defeated Edwin De Los Santos. Despite his
unblemished record, fans have criticized Stevenson for his
defensive style and low offensive output, but doubters were
silenced following Stevenson’s 12-round masterclass against the
feared Mexican swarmer William Zepeda.HOW TO WATCH
The Ring 6 kicks off live from Madison Square Garden in New York on
Saturday, Jan. 31. The card starts at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and is
available through DAZN Pay-Per-View. The full card:
• Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson – WBO super lightweight
championship
• Keyshawn Davis vs. Jamaine Ortiz – super lightweight co-main
event
• Bruce Carrington vs. Carlos Castro – WBC featherweight
championship
• Carlos Adames vs. Austin Williams – WBC middleweight
championship
• Jarrell Miller vs. Kingsley Ibeh – heavyweight bout
• Ziyad Al Maayouf vs. Kevin Costello – welterweight bout
BETTING ODDS
The undefeated Stevenson comes in as the favorite (-320) to
dethrone Lopez (+230), according to FanDuel. Despite the slight
reach disadvantage, Stevenson’s amateur pedigree, unblemished
record and defensive skill set make him a slight favorite to win a
12-round decision (-190). Lopez is viewed as the more explosive
puncher, with odds of +600 to finish the fight by knockout.PATHS TO VICTORY
If there’s anybody who has the skill set necessary to hand
Stevenson his first professional loss, it’s Lopez. Like Stevenson,
Lopez fought in the Rio Olympics—he represented Honduras—and has a
stellar boxing IQ. Blessed with phenomenal hand speed and reflexes,
Lopez contains a ton of explosiveness paired with a sixth sense for
timing. He’s a deceptive counterpuncher who can pick opponents
apart with his jab before making them pay with counter check hooks
and sneaky uppercuts. Lopez’s biggest wins have come against two
elite southpaws in Lomachenko and Kelly, as he was able to enter a
flow state and shut down their offense. Lopez’s quick feet in the
open-stance matchup make him difficult to get an angle on.
Stevenson has been plagued by hand problems throughout his career
and has voiced concerns about the challenge at 140 pounds. It’s
clear that he’s expecting a chess match, but Lopez can dictate the
terms of this fight by leading the dance and forcing Stevenson to
fight at his pace. Every round counts in a fight like this between
two counterpunchers. A crisp jab or a misunderstood stumble could
be the difference between winning and losing a round. Lopez needs
to impose his will in the clinch, outwork Stevenson on the outside
and play off the New York crowd. Stevenson stays true to his style
and refuses to step out of his comfort zone. He relies on superior
positioning and is an extremely disciplined fighter. A slow-paced
fight plays to his advantage, but if Lopez touches him with his
power, it could present a problem he has never faced.
For Stevenson, the blueprint to beating Lopez has been written. In
his lone defeat to George Kambosos Jr., Lopez was dropped by a
well-timed right hand. The shot didn’t hurt Lopez, but he can be
careless with his balance when he’s moving forward. Lopez isn’t
afraid to leap into punches and throw explosive pot shots. If
Stevenson can catch him in between punches, he could secure a flash
knockdown. Lopez’s footwork has been underwhelming in some of his
past fights. Against Ortiz, he was unable to close off the ring and
pin him down. Against Steve Claggett, Lopez had trouble finding
space amidst the Canadian’s forward pressure. He took way too many
easy hits and was quickly drawn into an unnecessary firefight.
Despite his reputation for being a defensive counterpuncher,
Stevenson is a crafty fighter on the inside who isn’t afraid to
punish the body. Stevenson can turn on the pressure when he needs
to, and if Lopez wants to bang, he will be more than happy to
oblige.
This fight has the makings of a masterclass in technical boxing or
a 12-round snoozer. Lopez and Stevenson are two of the best
counterpunchers in the business, but when two counterpunchers face
off, somebody still has to take the lead. The faints and positional
battle may underwhelm the casual fan, but diehard purists will
study this fight for years.