{"id":390698,"date":"2026-01-26T03:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T03:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/390698\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T03:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T03:30:13","slug":"eddie-hearn-breaks-down-true-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/390698\/","title":{"rendered":"Eddie Hearn breaks down ‘true classic’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tilt between top technicians Teofimo Lopez Jr<\/a>. and Shakur Stevenson<\/a> should surely satisfy lovers of the sweet science.
The junior welterweight fight will headline The Ring 6<\/a> card at Madison Square Garden in New York. <\/p>\n

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn is tasked with promoting the event, and much like the boxing public, he figures the fight will be a 50-50, tit-for-tat matchup. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s a fight that could be a little bit of a chess match early on,\u201d said Hearn. \u201cYou have two guys who are very reactive, super sharp, feint and set traps, and with tremendous boxing IQ and footwork. Generally, that lends itself to a fight that is going to be nip and tuck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fight will be won by the person who takes it by the scruff of the neck, and perhaps the one that does can edge out the close rounds. In these kinds of close fights, it could have close rounds. Neither fighter will want to be reckless and make mistakes. They know they will get punished.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Shakur is massively underrated in terms of his achievements and abilities. People like to downplay Shakur’s star power and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Teofimo always rises to the occasion. Sometimes you see lackluster performances when he’s not motivated and when there isn’t a legacy on the line. This fight is different between two of the elite fighters of our generation. The best thing about this fight is that we are seeing them in their prime, and that’s what we need to make greats. It’s going to be a massive night of boxing. There is something special about a Madison Square Garden fight. You always get drama. It’s shaping up to be a true classic.\u201d <\/p>\n

According to DraftKings, Stevenson is the betting favorite at -295, and Lopez is a +225 underdog. <\/p>\n

Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs) is coming into the clash as The Ring and WBO junior welterweight champion. He last fought in May and beat Arnold Barboza Jr. by unanimous decision<\/a> and also has career-best wins against Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020 and Josh Taylor in 2023.
Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) is the WBC lightweight champion and the No. 7-ranked pound-for-pound fighter on a mission to become a four-division titleholder. Stevenson last fought in July and beat William Zepeda by unanimous decision<\/a>.
\u201cThe Ring 6\u201d is available via pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and \u00a324.99 in the United Kingdom. It is included for subscribers to DAZN<\/a>\u2019s Ultimate plan ($44.99 per month in the U.S.; \u00a324.99 in the UK).Manouk Akopyan is The Ring\u2019s lead writer. Follow him on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>: @ManoukAkopyan.