Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson
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| Date | January 31, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBO & The Ring junior welterweight title | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stevenson wins via 12-round unanimous decision (119–109, 119–109, 119–109) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teófimo López vs. Shakur Stevenson, billed as The Ring 6, was a Junior welterweight professional boxing match contested between The Ring and WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez, and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. The bout took place on January 31, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[1][2] Stevenson won by unanimous decision.[3]
Background
On December 1, 2025, It was officially announced Teofimo Lopez will defend his The Ring and WBO junior Welterweight Championship titles against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. After Lopez lost his unified lightweight titles to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021, he moved up to junior welterweight and won the WBO and The Ring titles in June 2023 with a unanimous decision victory over Josh Taylor. He made two title defenses in 2024 before defeating the previously unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jr. in New York City in May 2025.
Going into the bout, Stevenson was a three-division world champion, having previously held titles at featherweight and super featherweight before winning the WBC lightweight title in November 2023.[4]
The fight
Lopez struggled against Stevenson's boxing ability and jab, and Stevenson appeared dominant throughout the fight and bloodied Lopez, holding a 165 to 72 advantage in punches landed.[5] The three official scorecards had Stevenson winning 119–109.[3]
Aftermath
In April 2026, Lopez discussed the fight and accused Stevenson of using tactics that were beyond standard exchanges, particularly at close range. He said Stevenson stood on his feet, used his elbows during clinches, and described these as part of a "dirty fight" strategy, which affected the flow of the fight. Lopez stated that these moments disrupted his rhythm and limited his offensive opportunities.[6]
Fight card
Bout:[7]
| Weight Class | vs. | Method | Round | Time | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Welterweight | Shakur Stevenson | def. | Teofimo Lopez (c) | UD | 12 | 3:00 | FOR WBO AND RING LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT TITLES |
| Super Lightweight | Keyshawn Davis | def. | Jamaine Ortiz | TKO | 12/12 | 2:47 | |
| Featherweight | Bruce Carrington | def. | Carlos Castro | KO | 9/12 | 1:29 | FOR WBC FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE |
| Heavyweight | Jarrell Miller | def. | Kingsley Ibeh | SD | 10 | 3:00 | |
| Middleweight | Austin Williams | def. | Wendy Toussiant | UD | 10 | 3:00 | |
| Welterweight | Kevin Castillo | def. | Zayid Almaayouf | UD | 8 | 3:00 |
References
- ↑ Edic, Keith. "'I'm ready to put a beating on somebody': Madison Square Garden Will Host Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson". ringmagazine. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
- ↑ Esco, Will (2025-12-09). "Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson officially set for Madison Square Garden". bedlefthook. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
- 1 2 Telfer, Alastair (2026-02-01). "Shakur Stevenson wins fourth world title and calls out Conor Benn". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Keay, Sheldan. "Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson world title fight official as date and location announced". boxingnews.
- ↑ "Teofimo Lopez vs. Shakur Stevenson results, highlights: Stevenson earns WBO title in dominant perforamnce". CBS Sports. 2026-02-01. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ↑ "Teofimo Lopez Says Shakur Stevenson Fought Dirty". www.boxingnews24.com. 2026-04-15. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "BoxRec - event".