By: Sean Crose
It looks like 2026 is going to start off with a bang for boxing fans, for word has arrived that Shakur Stevenson will be throwing down against Teofimo Lopez on January 31st at a New York location yet to be determined. Lightweight king Stevenson will be stepping up to the junior middleweight division to challenge Lopez for Lopez’s WBO world title.
“This fight between two huge talents will provide an exciting start to our plans for 2026 and as we look to create another great year of boxing events around the world,” promoter Turki Alalshikh, stated via Ring Magazine. “We are looking forward to returning to New York in January and producing another big world title fight that fans have been waiting for.”
Needless to say, both men are thrilled for the opportunity to face each other in a legitimate superfight. “I have never shied away from a challenge and always chased the biggest fights in the sport because I know I am one of the best boxers in the world,” Stevenson told Ring Magazine. “Teofimo Lopez will learn that firsthand on January 31 when I take his belt and show him that there are levels to this game. New York, get ready for a spectacular performance as I take over a fourth straight weight division.”
Lopez, too, is set on making the most of his opportunity. “Duck, Duck, Goose! Are you ready for New York City? Brick city in the concrete jungle, so let’s get ready to rumble!” he stated. “The Takeover is here to stay, not play. Make Boxing Great Again is my forte. Shakur will fall in nine.”
After a ho-hum 2025, boxing is in need of some good matches in the upcoming 12 months, and Stevenson-Lopez is indeed one such bout . Although there’s no guarantee this will be a thriller – Stevenson is a slick boxer rather than a powerhouse – it’s always important that the best fight the best, and both fighters here are two of the best the sport has to offer.
The fight is also being held in each man’s home territory. No matter where the exact location ends up being, the fact the fight is being waged in New York is important. Lopez, after all, is a product of Brooklyn while Stevenson hails from nearby Newark.
Fans have been waiting a while for this one to become a reality. It’s good to see that – sometimes at least – boxing still knows how to make the big events happen.
