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Jan 29, 2026
2 min read
Shakur Stevenson has built a solid resume as a three-division champion in his nine-year career. But the caliber of competition he’s crushed is nowhere near the level he’s about to face.
Highlights
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Highlights
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec.
Shakur Stevenson has built a solid resume as a three-division champion in his nine-year career.
But the caliber of competition he’s crushed is nowhere near the level he’s about to face Saturday when he squares off against Teofimo Lopez to headline The Ring 6 card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“This is my moment. I've been waiting for this moment for years and years. I finally got the opportunity to show who I am,” Stevenson told reporters. “Teofimo will bring the best out of me. I know what I can do. I know what he can do. I just have to up the level.”
Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs), the WBC lightweight champion and ranked No. 8 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, will be stepping up another weight class to take on The Ring and WBO junior welterweight champion Lopez (22-1, 13 KOs).
Lopez’s career-best wins against Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020 and Josh Taylor in 2023 are levels above Stevenson’s best wins vs. William Zepeda, Josh Padley, Robson Conceicao, Oscar Valdez and Jamel Herring.
“It's time to show what the level is,” said Stevenson. “I don't think he realizes what the level is, so we are going to have to show him. I don't believe in the pressure. The same guy that you have been seeing my whole career, a higher level is going to show up.”
Stevenson, who sports just a 45 percent KO ratio, is also planning on showing off his sneaky power.
“One thing that they sleep on is my power,” he said. "A lot of people say that I can't crack, but once you get in there with these eight-ounce gloves and let me punch you, you wouldn't want to just go through my punches.”
Lopez hasn’t stopped any of his previous five opponents, so the fight figures to be a high-level chess match that will be decided on the scorecards.
Should Stevenson win, he’ll have to contemplate which weight class he wants to continue his career because he’ll certainly be presented with options across 135, 140, and 147 pounds.
“I was making 135 easily. I didn’t struggle to make the weight,” he said. “At this point in my career, I am focused on the best business based on the options. Whatever makes the most sense to push us forward.”
“The Ring 6” is available via pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. It is included for subscribers to DAZN’s Ultimate plan ($44.99 per month in the U.S.; £24.99 in the UK).
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