It’s one thing to headline the year’s first marquee event and another to win it. This is a fight in which Teofimo Lopez has everything to lose and Shakur Stevenson everything to gain. Adding insult to injury, Lopez already trails the challenger in the odds books. Still, miracles can happen, and boxing is no exception to the rule. Lopez can defend his WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles, provided he follows a blueprint he used a few years ago.

Lopez and Stevenson headline a Top Rank-Matchroom Boxing card that will be streamed live on DAZN. The matchup follows months of shadowboxing between the 140-pound champion and the lightweight titleholder. For Shakur Stevenson, a win over Teofimo would make him a four-division champion. But the move could potentially backfire. A colleague at 140 pounds believes Teofimo Lopez invoking the ghosts of the past – when he outboxed some of the most well-known and highly regarded names – could be a game changer.

Can Teofimo Lopez disrupt Shakur Stevenson’s grand plan?

Gary Antuanne Russell could finally welcome the new year on a happy note. Reports confirm that his much-anticipated title defense against the WBA’s number-one-ranked contender, Andy Hiraoka, may finally see the light of day in the first quarter of 2026. The two were scheduled for a face-off earlier on the shelved Jake Paul-Gervonta Davis card. While he eagerly anticipates the duel with Hiraoka, Russell has not taken his eyes off the major developments taking place in his division.

Be it Teofimo or Shakur, the winner could be in his crosshairs for title unification. Speaking to reporters, he said the Teofimo-Shakur matchup is a 50–50 affair. “I think Teofimo is stronger and has more athleticism than Shakur. Teofimo has a good IQ on the sport itself. But Shakur, I feel like he’s a smarter and more technical fighter,” he stated.

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Against Teofimo, he expects Shakur to follow a cautious approach. Things could change, however, if Teofimo resorts to the style and form he used when he fought Vasyl Lomachenko. “If I had to give you my honest opinion, if Teofimo shows up and is ready to fight, just like how he fought against Vasiliy Lomachenko, he’ll win,” Russell stated.

The 2020 win over Loma remains the hallmark of Teofimo Lopez’s career, which has otherwise been punctuated by inconsistent performances.

The unpredictable saga of Teofimo Lopez

Currently, a few outlets project Shakur Stevenson to have as much as a 70 percent chance of winning. The doubts over Lopez’s prospects largely stem from a recent spate of underwhelming performances. After the Loma fight, he suffered a shocking loss to George Kambosos Jr. Later, he struggled to make a stand against Sandor Martin.

Sparks emerged when he took on former undisputed champion Josh Taylor for the light welterweight title. He delivered a dominant performance to secure a unanimous decision victory.

Thereafter, however, his performances once again dipped when he faced Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett. He managed to salvage some of his reputation with his best showing on the May 2 Fatal Fury card, when he defeated Arnold Barboza Jr. Still, it has been far from a fulfilling journey, and much now rests on Teofimo’s result against a stalwart like Shakur Stevenson.

Most fans and pundits seemingly agree: on his best day, Teofimo Lopez can be the best boxer in the world. He just needs to show more consistency. And if he repeats the performances he displayed against Lomachenko and Taylor, he could usher in a historic upset.