As 2025 winds down with a couple of solid cards in the month of December, the first significant bout of 2026 was formally announced on Monday. On January 31, Teofimo Lopez will square off against Shakur Stevenson in New York.
This is more than just a fight, this is a legitimate grudge match.
Going back to their early days together as Top Rank stablemates there always seemed to be a bit of tension between the two. In the beginning it was more about who would be the next star for this company. Not that both couldn't be, but this was about status and positioning within the sport.
Ring Magazine
To their credit, both have had accomplished careers. Stevenson is a three-division champion having won titles at featherweight, junior lightweight (where he was a unified champion) and is currently the WBC lightweight titlist. Lopez has become the undisputed champion at both 135 and 140 as he defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor in career-defining bouts. He is currently the Ring Magazine and WBO junior welterweight champion.
Stevenson is currently rated eighth in the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound ratings, while Lopez has seen his name there at various times. But there's no doubt that both boxers are among the top 15 fighters in the sport in both skills and accomplishments.
Riyadh Season
For the better part of a year, Stevenson and Lopez have traded verbal jabs over social media. They might -- I say, might -- respect one another as fighters, but they certainly don't like one another personally.
Stevenson seems to view Lopez as a bit delusional and wacky (and he wouldn't be alone in that opinion), while Lopez views Stevenson as a rather boring boxer with a sense of entitlement (and he wouldn't be alone in that opinion.) Both share this opinion: the other guy is overrated and needs to be knocked down a peg or two.
Which is probably what makes this bout interesting. This is a battle between two divergent personalities who simply can't stomach the thought of losing to the other guy. The winner of this bout stakes his claim as the best young American champion not named Jesse Rodriguez.
Riyadh Season
Also, both guys are 28 years old. So they are right in the thick of their physical primes. Boxing needs more bouts of this nature, where elite prizefighters are paired off before the age of 30, instead of after it. Forget marinating, at this point I'd just rather have all these fights microwaved.
Now, the question is: as good as this bout is on paper, will this actually be one that provides any sustained action? Keep this in mind, Lopez is best a sharp shooting counter-puncher. He is at his most effective when someone is initiating the action. While Stevenson is the master boxer, who at times can be conservative in his output with the brittle nature of his hands. But he showed that when you press him, as William Zepeda did in the summer, he is more than willing to fight back.
Riyadh Season
The old axiom is that 'styles make fights', but the reality is that the wrong styles can ruin them. If neither Lopez or Stevenson takes the lead in this fight -- will there actually be one?
With all that said, it's still one that many will be anticipating.
LOCATION
So where will this bout, which will be part of 'Ring 6' takes place? While New York was mentioned in the press release, it also added this note: "Further details including ticketing, venue and additional fights on the card will be announced in due course."
Obviously, the famed Madison Square Garden would be a natural venue, and both the Knicks and Rangers do not have games at MSG on that Saturday. As for the Barclay Center, they have 'Disney on Ice' shows on that date.
Who knows, maybe they'll put this card on Ellis Island or something.
