Oscar De La Hoya has weighed in on Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson, believing that Lopez has a chance to do the ‘impossible’ and ‘break’ his opponent’s style.
The pair will collide on January 31 at Madison Square Garden, New York, with Stevenson bidding to claim his rival’s WBO title and become a four-division world champion.
Up to this point, it seems that the crafty southpaw, who still holds the WBC title at 135lbs, has been made a slight favourite in their super-lightweight encounter.
Stevenson, after all, has barely even lost a round as a professional, with his most notable victories arriving against world-level operators William Zepeda, Oscar Valdez and Jamel Herring.
More than anything, it is the American’s wand of a lead hand and expert judgement of distance that has seen him garner so much success.
But while Stevenson has undoubtedly enjoyed the greater consistency in recent years, it must also be said that Lopez boasts the two most significant wins.
It was two career-best displays, in fact, that saw ‘The Takeover’ dethrone Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor in 2020 and 2023, respectively, with the more recent performance crowning him a world champion at 140lbs.
Based on this, and despite his less impressive performances against the likes of Sandor Martin and Jamaine Ortiz, De La Hoya believes that Lopez could solve the nightmarish puzzle of Stevenson’s style.
Speaking with Fight Hub TV, the Golden Boy promoter hailed both fighters but ultimately refused to give a clear prediction.
“Teo’s a hell of a fighter. I love Teo, but I [also] love Shakur. [Stevenson’s] style is almost impossible to break. But if there’s a fighter who can break it, it’s Teo.
I love Shakur because he doesn’t run – he’s right there in front of you – so it’s up to Teo to do something. But I think it’s going to be a great fight.”
The explosiveness and athleticism of Lopez could certainly cause Stevenson problems but, vice versa, so too could the Newark man’s prolific jab and educated footwork.
