Less than two weeks remain in the highly anticipated fight between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson. The pair will collide at Madison Square Garden in New York for Lopez’s WBO super lightweight strap. However, ahead of the fight, former lightweight champion Mikey Garcia has raised an interesting question, which may dictate who would win.

Stevenson, of course, is moving up a division for the fight, having defeated William Zepeda in his last outing. Lopez also defended his title in a one-sided matchup against Arnold Barboza Jr. last year in May. Despite their dominance, Garcia questions which version of ‘The Takeover’ would show up on fight night? The one who dominates great opponents, or one who couldn’t.

Teofimo Lopez has to do one thing to secure a win

“Great matchup, tough fight. I want to see what Teofimo shows up because sometimes it’s Teofimo, the great fighter who beat Lomachenko, who beat Taylor. That’s a tough Teofimo,” Garcia told Fight Hub TV. “But then we’ve also seen him on off nights. And so that’s kind of the only question that I have, which Teofimo is going to show up?”

Lopez defeated the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko, Josh Taylor, and Arnold Barboza. However, he lost to George Kambosos Jr. and struggled against Jamaine Ortiz, who shares some traits with Shakur Stevenson’s defensive fighting style. Regardless, when Garcia was asked what ‘The Takeover’ should do to make sure his hand gets raised, Garcia claimed weight is the answer. 

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“He’s a bigger fighter, bigger size. He’s been at the weight class a little more and just maybe built into it more,” Garcia told Fight Hub TV. “I would think he would have to use that, you know, size as an advantage.” Even then, Garcia wasn’t comfortable sharing a prediction for the bout, suggesting that Stevenson is “f—king good at what he does.”

If Shakur Stevenson wins the upcoming fight, he will become a four-division champion. Whereas a Teofimo Lopez win would hand Stevenson the first loss of his career and Lopez all the bragging rights. Regardless, Garcia isn’t the only one who has been thinking about how the fight would unfold. 

Richardson Hitchins predicts Lopez’s fate against Shakur Stevenson

IBF super-lightweight world champion Richardson Hitchins has delivered a blunt prediction ahead of Teofimo Lopez’s fight against Shakur Stevenson. Hitchins believes Stevenson operates on a completely different level than the WBO super lightweight champion. 

Speaking to FightHype, the New Yorker did not mince his words, warning Lopez of what lies ahead. “Shakur finna f—k Teo up. I’m telling you, Teo better wake the f—k up,” Hitchins said. While acknowledging Lopez’s talent, he stressed the stylistic challenge posed by Stevenson, describing him as a “high-level boxer” and insisting “Teo ain’t on Shakur’s level.”

Despite his confidence in Stevenson, Hitchins added that the fight could still be competitive. “In two weeks, we will see [who is right].”

It appears Teofimo Lopez is the underdog in his own backyard. He will not just defend his belt against Stevenson, but also his honor, come January 31. Who do you think will win the fight?