Teofimo Lopez has never been short on confidence, and ahead of his January 31 showdown with Shakur Stevenson, he’s taking that belief to its most extreme conclusion, insisting that when the two finally collide at Madison Square Garden, the unbeaten Stevenson will be stopped.
Speaking to DAZN during fight week build-up in New York, Lopez suggested that Stevenson’s decision to move up and challenge him was influenced by the ripple effect of Terence Crawford’s historic win over Canelo Alvarez last September. In Lopez’s view, Crawford’s triumph emboldened Stevenson to chase a defining legacy fight of his own.
“Shakur is stepping up because he’s got no one else to go after,” Lopez said. “His big bro, aka Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford, put on a huge upset and made a historical moment in time for the sport. That makes Shakur want to step up to the plate and face Teofimo.”
The matchup brings together two fighters who know each other well. Both Lopez and Stevenson spent formative years under the same Top Rank banner, sharing gyms, sparring rounds, and internal competition long before this fight was ever realistic. Lopez alluded to that shared past, dismissing claims of jealousy while suggesting he was once viewed as little more than a future opponent in Stevenson’s carefully managed rise.
“I wasn’t jealous of him,” Lopez said. “They invested a lot of money in Shakur. Me? I think I was supposed to be an opponent eventually. Now we’re back.”
What separates this buildup from typical bravado is Lopez’s insistence that Stevenson’s vaunted defense is overstated. Lopez believes it’s his responsibility to expose weaknesses others fail to see, and he claims the end result will be definitive.
“My job is to show the world the flaws that they can’t see,” Lopez said. “My job is to show the world that can’t nobody beat me. And I’m going to make it look pretty. It’s going to be much prettier when I see him laid out flat.”
Image Credit: Sky Sports