Shakur Stevenson Cryptically Reacts To Teofimo Lopez Fight Rumors

The report stated that Stevenson wants the matchup to happen in January 2026. The champion is already 2-0 in 2025, with a ninth-round TKO win over Josh Padley in February before his fight with Zepeda.

Lopez has fought just once in 2025, picking up a 12-round decision nod over Arnold Barboza Jr. in May. The win was his sixth consecutive since suffering an upset loss to George Kambosos Jr. to end his initial lightweight title reign in November 2021.

Lopez has been a 140-pound champion for over two years, but he has not headlined a major event since his loss to Kambosos. A fight with Stevenson would certainly check all the boxes to set up a massive pay-per-view title fight.

If the matchup materializes, it would likely require Stevenson to make his super lightweight debut. The 28-year-old has only been competing at 135 pounds for two years, but has vocalized his interest in moving up another division soon.

Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez's parallel careers

Stevenson and Lopez have been linked to a potential fight before, but the matchup continues to evade promoters. Despite simultaneously competing under the Top Rank banner for years, the two have surprisingly never been in the same weight class at the same time.

Both fighters made their professional debuts near the same time, but Stevenson started as a super featherweight, while Lopez began his career at lightweight. By the time the former moved up to 135 pounds in 2023, Lopez had already gone up to super lightweight the previous year.

Stevenson and Lopez have not necessarily been atop each other's radars for long, but the discussions have ramped up over the last month. Both fighters have been two of the biggest stars in boxing for years, but still seek that one signature victory that would vault them into superstardom.