Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez looked like they were closing in on a blockbuster fight early next year. The two had been throwing jabs—verbally, not physically—on social media, building real momentum for the matchup. But just when fans thought the stage was set, another fighter crashed the party—Ryan Garcia.

The Victorville native stirred the pot during a Cigar Talk interview, brushing off Stevenson’s win over William Zepeda while claiming that he and Rolando Romero, who recently defeated Garcia, would cause problems for Stevenson. Naturally, that lit the fuse. What followed was a rapid-fire exchange of insults on X that had fans glued to their screens. 

Shakur Stevenson vs Ryan Garcia next?

Reacting to Ryan Garcia’s claims during the interview, Stevenson tweeted, “Man just admitted to be scared of rolly power, My bad for thinking it wasn’t the best version of him.. That’s why u suck because power is not everything, bum.” Garcia, of course, not one to back down, came back with his own retort, responding, “You’re mad bc I kept it real, you didn’t fight a guy with power, and when you did, it wasn’t your best performance anyone with eyes can see.”

Stevenson denied being “mad” about Garcia’s comments, adding, “U got embarrassed [in] your last fight against Rollies.. I went against a real Mexican fighter with a real Mexican style of fighting and beat him at his own game!!” This followed a face-to-face interview between them over video call, where their back-and-forth continued. “Hey, if we’re in the ring… I’m gonna win. I’ll chase after you like I’m in a [explicit]…,” Ryan Garcia said. 

He then pressed Stevenson, asking, “Devin Haney made the mistake by trying to fight me. Yes or no?” Shakur Stevenson responded with a bet, which could now sideline the fight with Teofimo Lopez. “I mean, when you walked off the f—ing steroids and s—t…,” he said during the interview, adding, “You don’t take no steroids. I’m standing right there in the middle of the ring for the whole fight.” Garcia tested positive for Ostarine after defeating Devin Haney, resulting in his win being expunged.

Regardless, the question is, can it really derail the Lopez fight? 

Garcia is Stevenson’s backup in case Teofimo Lopez bails

Shakur Stevenson’s bid to further his legacy by fighting Teofimo Lopez in January and taking his belt to become a four-division champion is heading in the right direction. Boxing Scene reported that a source close to Stevenson has confirmed that the Newark native is very receptive to the fight at Lopez’s backyard at super lightweight. 

The source has claimed that Stevenson has already agreed to the terms presented by Saudi boxing genius Turki Alalshikh. Despite Lopez’s mutual interest in the fight, Stevenson’s team is wary of the fight’s future, as Lopez backed out of a November fight against Devin Haney not that long ago after talks had reached their final stages. Haney is now pursuing WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. instead.

From the looks of things, Shakur Stevenson doesn’t want to leave anything in Teofimo Lopez’s hands. In case Lopez backs out again, he will likely have Ryan Garcia as an opponent for his plans in January. Which fight do you see happening, or which one would you rather see happening?