It has now been announced that WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson will step up in weight and challenge Teofimo Lopez for the WBO super-lightweight crown. Now, Shane Mosley, who ruled in both of those divisions, has offered his prediction for the fight.
After claiming an Olympic silver medal at Rio 2016, Stevenson needed just 13 professional bouts to get his hands on a world title, overcoming Joet Gonzalez for the WBO featherweight strap back in 2019.
Since then, Stevenson has remained undefeated as he has progressed through the weight divisions and become a three-division world champion. Although, the lack of willingness for a unification clash from his fellow lightweight titleholders has forced the Newark-born sensation to look elsewhere for a super-fight.
Instead, Stevenson will collide with Lopez, as he continues his efforts to prove his pound-for-pound talents to the world of boxing. Speaking with FightHype.com, Mosley predicted a tactical encounter and gave Stevenson the edge, despite the move up in weight.
“It is a really great fight because Shakur is really tactical and really hard to hit but at the same time, Teofimo Lopez is not that easy to hit either and he has fought really good fighters like Lomachenko and other guys [of the level] that Shakur has not fought at yet.
This is the fight where we really need to see what is going to happen because it is not like Teofimo Lopez is going to go right to him and not move his head or nothing. So, it is going to be a difficult fight for Shakur Stevenson as well, it’s a spectacular fight.
I would probably lean towards Shakur because he is probably a little better as a boxer.”
Lopez-Stevenson will take place in New York City on Saturday, January 31, with further details regarding the venue and undercard set to be announced imminently.
