Teddy Atlas has given his initial breakdown of the expected showdown between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson.
It has been widely reported that the pair will square off in the first quarter of 2026, with New York City in January the likely location pending official announcement.
As for the fight itself, this could quite easily be defined by a battle between Stevenson’s pure defensive skills – sharp and educated – against the sheer athleticism and explosiveness of Lopez.
While having always been regarded as a polished defensive fighter, Stevenson pointedly showcased an extra string to bow against William Zepeda in July. Rather than staying on the back foot, and utilising his refined technical abilities, the slick southpaw also decided to mix it on the inside with his aggressive opponent.
Having made three defences of his WBC lightweight title, though, the 28-year-old is now eagerly hoping to become a four-division world champion.
Standing in his way of that feat is Lopez, a more physically imposing operator, who defended his WBO super-lightweight title with a comfortable points victory over Arnold Barboza Jr in May.
‘The Takeover’ can blow hot and cold, with a selection of rather lacklustre performances arriving against his lesser-known opponents. Against Stevenson, however, Lopez will most certainly need to be at his best, and while Hall of Famer Atlas is yet to give an official prediction, he has nonetheless highlighted the 28-year-old’s power as a potentially decisive factor.
That much was made clear in a video on his YouTube channel, THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, where the former trainer also hailed Stevenson’s latest points victory.
“I think Shakur showed aggression in his last fight against Zepeda.
“You know, being elusive while being aggressive, walking [Zepeda] down, fighting on the inside, boxing well, still being able to counter, still being able to control space but also be able to go into tight corners and not be afraid to show that he’s good on the inside, too.
“Teofimo showed you that he can fight inside, he can fight outside. He [should] have the advantage of power in this fight.
“You know one thing that I love about this fight? Shakur’s very athletic, very talented. So is Teofimo, he’s more explosive with power, but Teofimo is very athletic.
“You got two athletic guys, two talented guys. Again, Teofimo I would favour with the power. This is going to be interesting.”
Atlas isn’t the only one to share his thoughts on the proposed bout, with top trainer Robert Garcia also offering his take.
